Do Not Meddle
by Ubermunchkin
Summary: What happens when the Sith and Jedi meet something more powerful then they? Kayla'Alda-sha is sent by her reclusive race to learn about the humanoids encroaching on her hidden home world, Sanctuary. When an ambitious Sith finds an ancient ritual, her fact-finding mission becomes a mission to save the galaxy from a fate worse than death.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Kayla'Alda-sha eased back into the shadows shrouding herself with insignificance; she forced herself to hunch over and cough wetly. She didn't watch the squad of Imperial troopers pass; she felt them. She had learned quickly enough that if you feigned Sewer Rot, the soldiers ignored you even if they were checking papers in a sweep for traitors; the Republic soldiers did the same. Once the soldiers rounded the corner, she continued heading for the maintenance tunnels under Coronet City that the Selonians called home.

It was very hard for her, for her people, to feign subservience. It had taken her a while to perfect the dejected slouch of a defeated people.

The last thing she wanted was to draw attention to herself. She had a very bad habit of over reacting when confronted. She wondered why, of all The Watchers, The Blue had chosen her for this task. Undercover reconnaissance required a more even-tempered, diplomatic personality; that wasn't her.

The Council of Seven had decided that with the encroachment of both the Republic and the Empire on their home world, they needed to know more about these two factions. She had traveled to a planet, Nar Shaddaa, from whence she started her journey. Her assignment was to travel as a citizen to the worlds of both factions and learn all she could about the development of the humanoid species.

On Nar Shaddaa, she had quickly figured out that the Force users, Jedi and Sith, could pick up on her innate power if she wasn't careful. So she used that same power to hide from them. The ability to do that dated back aeons as a protective action.

When she was ready to leave Nar Shaddaa, she caught the first transport, which was headed for Corellia. Corellia sounded like a nice place to visit: peaceful, industrious, not one massive city like Nar Shaddaa. Her people liked open, green spaces. She arrived three days before the Empire arrived; their soldiers and Sith spilled off their ships and spread through the city like a flood. Apparently, members of Corellia's council had invited them. No problem there except that Corellia was one of the Republic core worlds; the Republic didn't take kindly to the arrival of the Empire. Now she was caught in a war zone.

She was touring the Labor Valley district when the Empire bombarded the city in response to the arrival of the Republic Troops. She retreated into a crater that opened up to tunnels below. There she met the native species of Corellia, the Selonians.

At the opening of the tunnels into Selonian territory, her human form shimmered and changed to the form of the weasel-like race. She dropped to all fours and scampered into the dim-lit tunnels making her way to the den of this particular Selonian sept.

"Did you get it?" Shithta asked in the sibilant language.

Kayla nodded and from a haversack pulled out the ration cards. "Enough for the sept for a week. I also got some medicine for the injured."

Shithta purred and gently bumped Kayla's head in appreciation. She hurried off to distribute the medicine.

Kayla had quickly made friends among the Selonians. Due to her shape-changing ability, she could so easily move among the humans of the surface. The Selonians knew she wasn't one of them, but she did what she could to help the sept survive and defend their lair. It was beneficial to her and the sept.

"Kh-hayla," she turned to face the speaker. It was hard for Selonians to get used to saying the hard "k" sound. A tall brawny male approached her. "Shithta said you got the ration cards."

"Yes, I'll go to the aid station tomorrow when it opens, Mrownr."

"What is happening up there?" He adjusted his ammunitions bandoleer and rifle as if ready to fight.

She sighed and shook her head. "These Imperials are spreading their influence and not in a gentle manner. These Republics are responding in kind. I overheard a couple of Republic officers talking about approaching your people in hopes of using these tunnels to move unnoticed across the city. If you want my opinion, which you didn't ask for, that would be bad. I feel it is best if you remain neutral."

"Why do you say that?" Mrownr commanded the Selonian defense of this sept and counted on Kayla's observations and galactic experience. The citizens of Corellia had always treated the native Selonians fairly and respectfully and vice versa; that was all he knew. He had never gone further than the edge of Coronet City and never met a Republic or Imperial soldier. This Drae'kon had come from the edge of the galaxy through other worlds with other peoples and knew the ways of others.

"Well, if the Republic soldiers are allowed to use the tunnels, the Imperials will surely find out and follow. That would bring fighting that endangers the sept." She shook her head in dismay. "These Jedi and Sith, these force users, play at wielding the power of the universe but know little of the repercussions. They each claim to be righteous defenders of their people, yet both will kill any being that gets in the way of their version of righteousness."

"Even the kits and the queen?" Mrownr was stunned by that idea.

She nodded sadly. "I have seen the human children and non-combatants fall victim to this blind adherence. At least the Sith are honest about their anger and fear. These Jedi lie to themselves and those who depend on them. They claim that there is only peace, no passion, yet they attack the Imperials without provocation. One does not kill wantonly when in a state of peace."

"But you wield this force too." Mrownr pointed out. "You could subdue them."

It was hard to smile wryly in the musteline form but Kayla managed it. "If I channel the force for anything other than staying hidden, I shall level the city." She yawned. "I must rest before my foray tomorrow." She left Mrownr watching the entrance to the den and headed for the nest she had made for herself.

Her nest was a small alcove away from the rest of the clan. They preferred to curl up together and keep each other warm. Kayla was very warm blooded and from a cold climate; she found that cuddling made her too warm for a good rest. After shedding her haversack, she dropped to all fours and paced in a circle until her body told her she was properly oriented to the magnetic poles that was most optimum for relaxation.

She lay down and with her amber eyes partially open, shifted into rest mode. Through the half-closed slits of her eyes, she would see anything that approached her. Her sensitive ears listened to the purrs and murmurs coming from the sept in the main chamber. Her olfactory nerve could identify the unique scent of each individual and by extent foreign intrusion. She would be instantly aware of any change that might indicate an incursion of any kind.

Her race tended to sleep very rarely and like these mustelines kept up their energy through short interim rests. When her race did fall asleep, it was deeply and for a very long time, for years in fact. Maybe that was why she was chosen; she had recently woken from her sleep.

She let her mind wander back to her home world, to her nest, to her Flight. She could see the towering glacial peaks and almost hear the conversations of her family. Though she was psychically connected to them, she was too far away to commune with them. She knew they missed her and worried about her because she missed them.

The voice that touched her was not of any living family member. Grandma Blashe had lived about 20,000 years ago. "What have you learned my child? Chalnak is curious."

Mentally, Kayla relayed the same observations she had shared with Mrownr. "The humans have greatly advanced technologically since we fled beyond the rim," she said. "But they have not advanced emotional or psychologically."

"I shall relay what you have said to Chalnak. Any sign of the Rakatan?"

"No." Kayla could sense Grandma Blashe's relief. She asked her progenitor to send her family a message that she was well.

Here in the tunnels, there was no day or night and the Selonians were active all hours. Kayla heard the hunters return from another unsuccessful foray. The war topside had driven many of the animals the Selonians depended upon for sustenance from the city. That was why Kayla had gone after the ration cards.

Some tunnels ended beyond the city but the open country was also crawling with soldiers from both sides, and they had driven the animals deep into the country side. The sept had sent a team to hunt those animals but they never returned. Their fate was unknown and were feared dead.

Kayla stood and shook herself from head to claw. Her stomach growled. She was hungry but the kits and queen came first. She ran her claws through the golden Selonian fur to remove debris, settled the haversack over her shoulder, and stepped into the main cavern.

"Shithta, I'm going to requisition some food," she called.

Shithta looked up from the injured jack she was treating with the medicine Kayla had brought and nodded. "I will tell Mrownr."

Kayla headed out of the cavern and followed the tunnels back to the surface. The opening to the tunnels had once been no more than a shed with stairs. A bomb had turned it into a gaping crater. She nodded at a squad of armed Selonians hiding in the shadows and watching the opening.

"Mrownr said we should allow none of the soldiers here. He said you told him they would be a danger," the sergeant said.

"Yes," she answered simply.

Her form shimmered and she looked like a human with golden hair dressed in simple but gold-colored tunic and pants and boots. The gold fur, the gold hair and clothes reflected her natural complexion. She could feign having the sewer rot but she could do next to nothing about her striking, preternatural complexion.

She stepped from the shadows into the sunlight, her second lids covered her eyes protecting them from the bright light. The sky was clear overhead; a perfect day for an air assault by someone or another. She shrouded herself in a veil of inconspicuousness and disease that would blind any but the strongest from her presence and made her way through the shattered city.

She had to climb over rubble and avoid land mines. She kept a sharp eye out for soldiers or Force sensitives. The soldiers she could identify by their uniforms. She could identify Force sensitives by their auras; though she couldn't figure out how to tell whether they were Sith or Jedi until they did something.

A Force user was walking toward her. She intensified her veil, dipped her head, and shuffled along hoping he would pass her by.

"Greetings, citizen," the Force user called and strolled up to her.

"Master," she muttered not looking at him.

"Where are you headed?" he asked.

"The aid station," she offered with a cough.

"Be mindful, child, the way is fraught with danger. Be well," he put his hands together and bowed.

"May the Force be with you, Master," she responded dutifully and shuffled off. 'Idiot,' she muttered to herself.

The aid station was sometimes in Republic held territory and sometimes in Imperial held territory. She wasn't sure who held it today. It was run by Corellian citizens supposedly not affiliated with either faction.

Shooting up ahead told her that the aid station was in Imperial territory today. She sighed and reviewed the terrain looking for a way around the fire fight. Once there had been an opening to the tunnels near the aid station. A bombardment had collapsed that section of tunnel killing another sept of Selonians.

She started climbing over the crumpled walls of a collapsed building that flanked the combatants. From the top, she could look down on the battle as well as view the surrounding city. Off to the east she could see what trees remained in Axial Park. Beyond that the spires of the government sector still shone in the sunlight. It was there both factions had set up their headquarters to be close to the vacillating Corellian Council; it had been spared from the destruction of intense fighting. To the north she could see the city limits and the rolling hills beyond. To the south were the Industrial Islands, the corporate heart of Corellia; most of it was in ruins much like here in Labor Valley. To the west the blue ocean stretched to the horizon.

She sniffed the air. The smell of uxibeasts and dewbacks was carried to her on the easterly breeze from Axial Park. She had heard that many animals had escaped from the zoo during the recent fighting. Her stomach growled and she decided that she too had to eat. Her mouth watered at the thought but she would go to the aid station first. Besides, she had to come up with a plan to procure herself and the Selonians a substantial amount of meat without drawing attention to herself.

She started down the other side of the unstable rubble mountain. A couple of times, a piece of durasteel or plasticrete slipped under her foot and clattered down causing a small avalanche. She heaved a sigh when she touched solid ground.

"You, where do you think you are going?"

'Oh, crap,' she thought and bobbed her head not looking at the snarling woman. "I beg forgiveness, my lord, I am trying to reach the aid station. My children are hungry."

"Sniveling rat; be on your way but know that I will keep an eye on you. One false move and I shall crush you like the bug you are," the Sith snarled and fell into step beside her.

"Yes, my lord; as you wish, my lord." She bolstered her veil and tried to look more dejected and oppressed.

"You Corellians don't know what's good for you. The Empire will bring peace and order and prosperity to Corellia." This Sith was quite full of herself though her Force aura was not very strong. She was no more adept with the Force than the Jedi Kayla had passed early. Kayla had found those weaker in the Force tended to be the most arrogant.

"As you say, my lord." Kayla figured Corellia had been very peaceful, orderly, and prosperous before all this fighting. "Your protection would be most welcomed."

So far this Sith hadn't asked Kayla for any papers. If Kayla played her cards right, the woman would never think to. She projected an urge to be silent around the Sith; since she was bent on escorting Kayla to the aid station, there was no need for Kayla to listen to her rhetoric. It worked; the woman said no more.

One thing Kayla did admire about the Sith and Jedi was their ability to use the Force in small doses and with precision. Kayla's race couldn't do that, or at least, had never tried. When they used the Force, it was for large construction projects. In the ancient past, before the Unity, they used the Force in battle against opposing Flights for resources. Later, they fought using the Force to survive against a race seeking total domination of all races. In both cases, they used massive blasts of the Force to incapacitate and/or kill their enemies.

Kayla thought she would like the opportunity to try focusing a small amount as the Force users did, but she was honestly afraid she would mess up and draw attention to herself. That would be bad.

"There you go, you mewling spawn," the Sith pointed at the aid station up ahead.

Kayla bobbed her head. "I thank you for your beneficence, my lord." She hurried to join the queue.

She hesitated when she saw an Imperial lieutenant checking the papers of those asking the Corellian Relief Aid Program for help. She spun at a tap on her shoulder and faced a man of middle height and medium build; everything about him screamed innocuous. She immediately realized he was a Republic agent for their Strategic Information Services, the SIS.

"I've seen you come and go from the Selonian tunnels and assume you have a good relationship with them. Might I ask you to act as an intermediary for the Corellian Resistance in allowing us to pass unhindered through their tunnels?" His tone was gentle and imploring, just the right timbre to inspire sympathy.

She bit her tongue and stared into his eyes; she saw the gears in his head working on how the SIS might use the Selonians to their advantage. She felt anger welling up. Nothing irritated her more than people who used others with little regard to their wellbeing. She thinned her lips and her eyes in an effort to suppress her emotions.

She toyed with the idea of yelling out that he was a republic agent but that could result in a shootout with civilians getting hurt. Instead she pulled herself up to her full human height, over six feet and glared at him. "Go away," she growled.

He took a step back, his eyes wide with fear and astonishment. Too late she realized that she had put too much power behind her words. He spun and bolted as if his ass was on fire.

She glanced around and saw that no one had been paying attention. Those in the queue were too intent on reaching the front and getting their allotment; the lieutenant was too intent upon ensuring all papers were in order.

She exhaled a long breath and sank into her role of a destitute refugee. She fell into the line behind a man holding the hand of a boy of five and cradling a girl of about three in his arms. His broad shoulders and massive hands indicated he was a manual laborer who had worked hard to support his family. Now however, hunger had eaten at his muscle mass and his tunic hung off his shoulders like dirty laundry. His children's clothes were threadbare and filthy; their cheeks sunken and arms and legs bony and frail.

The little boy looked up at her with sunken hungry eyes. His eyes suddenly widened and he smiled. "You're beautiful," he whispered. "What are you?"

'Damn children, you couldn't hide anything from them.' She knelt to put herself at his eye level. "I am a visitor from far away trapped here by the war; not too unlike you."

"Zen, don't bother the lady," his father chastised.

She stood. "That's alright. I have a little one his age," she told him, her voice filled with fondness; she missed her little son. She put her finger to her lips and winked at the boy. He smiled at being part of an important secret and mimicked her.

While she worked her way to the front of the line, she planned how to get past the attentive lieutenant. The ration tickets she carried had not been issued to her. She had taken them off an unfortunate victim of either a Sith's or Jedi's politics.

When the man in front of her reached the lieutenant, he had his hands full. She offered to take his daughter and immediately noticed she was fevered.

She cradled the sick girl and started humming and swaying weaving an aura of healing around her. By the time the father had gathered his rations and turned to take back his little girl, her eyes were open and she was smiling and her face a little less flushed. It was all Kayla had time for.

He looked into Kayla's eyes as he took the little girl back. 'Thank you,' he mouthed. Silently, he slipped away.

"Your papers," the lieutenant barked at Kayla.

"Please, lieutenant, my husband was killed and my house destroyed in a bombing. My papers were lost." Kayla slipped truth into her words and saw the lieutenant falter. She handed him the ration cards. "This is all I have left."

Hesitantly, he took the cards and studied them. "They were issued to…"

"Toran Brin, my husband," she finished. "We lived in the Summer Sun district."

He nodded that she had correctly identified the owner of the cards and his address. "This is a lot for one person."

"It's not just me; it's my children and my sisters, and my cousins, and my aunts. They are all working or watching the children."

"Lieutenant, so many people are without these days. Don't begrudge a widow from providing as she can for her displaced family." The aid work was young and obviously from a family that had not suffered unduly from the occupation and war. She had an immediate effect on the love-struck officer.

He smiled warmly at the lovely blonde. "You are so right, Ziyena." He handed the ration cards to her.

"Thank you Villem." Ziyena hurried off to gather the supplies. "Can you carry all of this yourself? Do you need someone to help?" Ziyena asked when she returned with two huge bags of food stuffs.

"I'm stronger than I look," Kayla assured and took the bags. She bobbed her head to Ziyena and Villem. "Thank you both for your largess." She shuffled away, not too fast but not so slowly that someone felt the need to help her.

She again climbed the mountain of rubble to avoid the soldiers blocking the streets though the shooting was over. It was past mid-day when she returned to the main cavern and dropped the bags of supplies.

"Mrownr, when I was out, I could smell the animals from the Axial Park Zoo. I had heard they escaped their cages. I was thinking about going there to get fresh meat. What I brought is all well and good but the kits and queen need fresh meat. so do I."

"What do you propose," the guard captain asked.

"I will herd the beasts toward the tunnels, you and a hunting party can kill and strip them."

Mrownr shrugged. "That sounds easy enough. Perhaps we can keep some alive and hidden in the tunnels. I am sure others might think of the same idea."

She shook her head. "I've noticed that most humans have an aversion to eating red meat."

Moments later, she and Mrownr and five of his guards were headed through the tunnels toward Axial Park. Along the way, she told him about the SIS agent and his thoughts that she had perceived.

"The Corellian people let us be; we lived in quiet harmony. These invaders would use us or move us out of their way." Mrownr shook his head and bared his teeth. "You should have bitten him."

"Humans don't go around biting people," she explained.

He grinned a sharp, toothy grin. "But you aren't human."

She laughed. "But I have to pretend to be human," she reminded. "Many millennia ago, my people left our home world to get as far away from the Rakata Infinite Empire as possible. At that time, most other sentient species were just emerging and easily oppressed by the technologically advanced Rakata. We recently learned humans had advanced enough to spread across the galaxy and are approaching our planet. We want to know how much they have learned in the intervening years." She sighed.

"Apparently, they have not learned much," Mrownr suggested.

She smiled. "Though they seem to have forgotten we exist. I think it would behoove us if they remain forever ignorant of us."

"Then be careful in your hunting." Mrownr indicated the tunnel opening into Axial Park. Mrownr chuckled when Kayla's stomach growled. "Go before your temper worsens."

As in Labor Valley, this was a gaping hole, perfect for herding beasts to their death. First she had to get something to eat.

As Kayla climbed into the sunlight, her form changed to that of a nexu. There were soldiers scattered about, some with leashes attached to salky hounds or jaggalors they had managed to tame.

She sniffed the air and followed the scent to an uxibeast. She crouched, gathered herself, and sprung across the road landing on the beasts back. Her nexu claws dug into the animal's hide and she bit into its neck. Blood, warm and salty, filled her mouth as she severed the beast's jugular. The smell of blood drew other nexu, but she snarled and hissed putting power behind it. The others backed off and waited while she ate her fill.

Her appetite sated, it was time to chase several animals into the tunnel for the Selonians. She burped then licked her chops and smelled fear from both animals and soldiers.

She prowled around the park until she found a small group of nerfs. She moved around until they were between her and the tunnel then growled and rushed forward. The stupid beasts ran in a straight line away from her, toward the tunnels. Herding them was quite easy. As they entered the tunnel, the Selonians shot them.

Kayla shifted back into Selonian form and studied her handiwork.

"You smell of fresh kill," Mrownr noticed sniffing the air around her.

She burped again. "It was delicious. These beasts and the supplies should feed the sept for a couple of weeks."

Mrownr agreed, it had seemed ages since they had so much food. He froze and signaled his squad to do the same.

Kayla smelled the intruder too. Her form shimmered into her natural state and she let out a horrific roar; the one she would have used in the wild to declare her territory. She almost immediately returned to the Selonian form. The space was a little cramped for her natural self.

The ferocity and volume startled Mrownr and he stared at her. "Is that what you would normally sound like?"

"That was a declaration of my territory." She bared her row of sharp teeth. "It worked; he's leaving quickly."

"We best be away from here." Mrownr hurried his men up. "That one is leaving, but he might return with others to investigate what made the noise. So that is what you look like?"

"Yep; only a little larger." She fell back to cover their flank. She had no concerns about the man coming back any time soon. She could smell the fear: fear from the humans and fear from the animals all over Axial Park and beyond.

Tomorrow she would wander through some of the remaining buildings and get a sense of things.

She used a tunnel access hallway for the Central Workforce Habitation area of Labor Valley. Most of the people here were displaced off-worlders or residents who had been unable to flee the occupation. It was obvious some were falling back on nefarious means to support themselves. She feigned looking more destitute than they so they would leave her alone; except for…

Big hands grabbed her arms from behind and pushed her against the wall. He pressed his pelvis against her and breathed heavily into her ear. "I've been alone too long." One hand moved to the waist of her pants while the other slid around to fondle her breasts.

Suddenly he flew back smashing into the wall behind him and fell in a heap to the floor. The shock wave had cleared the entire area within a 100-foot diameter.

She glared at everyone staring at her. "Anyone else want to try?" One thing she had absolutely no tolerance for was a male trying to force himself on her: any male, any species.

Slowly, faces turned away and people slithered into the shadows. They were certain she was a Force user in disguise and probably Sith by her violent reaction. Slink away; see nothing.

She stood over the still form. He was alive, a few broken bones but alive. She waited for him to regain consciousness. She squatted and put her face in his. "I have killed better males than you who have tried to take me against my will. I am feeling benevolent today." She stood and walked away.

Now she had a choice: one side would take her into Republic territory, the other side would take her into Imperial territory. If she strode confidently toward the Imperial territory, the witnesses would assume she was a Sith and never speak of what they saw.

As she approached the south entry, she could see the line of armed Imperial soldiers behind jersey barriers watching the entry. It occurred to her how easy it could be to walk past them. She squared her shoulders, set a glaring expression, and exuded the Force.

They let her walk right by without a question. Once clear, she toned down the Force and shrouded herself once again in indigence. She continued to move south toward the Imperial war camp. She was willing to allow herself to be drafted into some menial work if it meant learning something about the status of things.

After begging a few of the officers for some work in exchange for a modicum of credits, she was picking up trash around the rocket tram station. Soldiers and civilians of importance were moving freely chatting about this or that. Much of it seemed to be how they missed home and their families. She could relate to that. She made note of a heavily armed company of soldiers who were hustled onto the tram for the Blastfield Shipyards.

"What do you mean you didn't hear it?" she heard a soldier at the medical station ask a friend. "That roar yesterday was heard from the Incorporation Islands to the Government District. Whatever made that noise is… is… is huge and angry and still out there."

"I swear, all I could hear were the animals around me screaming, squawking, and howling," his friend responded.

"That's because there is some monstrous predator in the tunnels probably thinking of them, and us, as its next meal. I don't care what the colonel says, I ain't going into those damned tunnels. The Selonian rats are welcome to them, if they've survived that creature."

"The colonel says we go, we go," his comrade persisted. "They want those rats cleared out of the tunnels. We need to be able to move about the city freely, and they are in our way."

"That monster will do it for us."

"You are healed and may return to duty," the medical droid told them in a dead-pan voice.

"Did you report the creature?" That was the last she heard.

"Make way for Lord Mif'aria'trou."

She glanced up to see two Force users headed her way. The herald was a human wearing modest robes with a modest Force aura. Behind him strode an erect woman with infra-red-vision eyes taking in everything; her skin was a dark shade of blue and her hair black. She wasn't of a particularly robust build even in the heavy armor she wore but her Force aura crackled with immense power.

Kayla scuttled well away hoping this powerful woman wouldn't notice her.

"You!" The woman barked stopping and staring at Kayla. "Come here."

Kayla kept her head down and shuffled up to the Sith Lord. "My lord," she bowed.

"You don't fool me, Jedi!"

Kayla shot a glare at her. "I am not Jedi. I am not Sith."

A false smile cracked the Chiss' face. "So you admit you are Force sensitive. I should kill you right now."

"I admit nothing. I have done you no ill. Why would you feel the need to kill me?" Kayla had decided to drop all semblance of servitude.

"I sense the power in you. I sense your fear."

That made Kayla laugh. "I fear no one and nothing… Okay I fear my mother when she's angry with me."

That blurt of honesty seemed to take the Sith aback but she recovered quickly. "Anyone who is Force sensitive within the Empire must go to Korriban to be trained… or die."

Kayla chewed the inside of her cheek and shifted her weight. "What's Korriban?"

The Chiss blinked as some within hearing ranged gasped. "Korriban is site of the Sith Academy."

Kayla perked up. "Is that were you learn to control the Force, where you learn to use it so precisely?" That place might have some merit. If she learned to control the Force as these Sith did, she could go home and teach the others. "That would be fun."

"Fun?" the woman roared. "Korriban is not a playground, it is a crucible, a forge, a kiln where you are unmade and reshaped as a power to be reckoned with. On Korriban you succeed or die!"

"Are you saying you want me to go to this Force Academy on Korriban?"

"You have no choice; if you do not go, you are sentenced to death."

"Okay, I'll go. I just have to tell some friends so they won't worry about me. You wait right here; I'll be right back."

Before the Chiss Force user could speak, Kayla spun and ran off at remarkable speed. She was away and beyond reach before Lord Mif'aria'trou could Force seize her.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

All Kayla'Alda-sha could think of when she stepped off of the shuttle into the burning sun of Korriban was, "Oops." She didn't like hot environs. She followed the four other "acolytes" with whom she had been travelling; they crossed the landing pad to large glass doors.

It was an odd collection: Mattren Kindarc a brawny Human male with cybernetic implants, Vuxoo a Zabrak female with several broken horns and a gash down the left side of her face, Ienew'kula a green Twi'lek male with neck scars indicating he recently wore a slave collar, and Ceasae a Sith pureblood female.

They were met just inside the orientation building door by an ill-tempered human who growled at them to line up and shut up. He turned on his heel and marched across the room to another door. The group of five followed dutifully and silently.

Matt had tried to chat up Kayla, but she sensed rage in him and shut him off. She sensed competitive arrogance in Vuxoo and Ceasae. Ienew, who had the strongest Force aura of the four, was having trouble breaking out of the slave mindset in which he had spent his entire life. Ceasae was the oldest, aside from Kayla and bullied the others boasting of her pureblood heritage and how that made her stronger. Kayla decided Ceasae knew she was the weakest of the lot and was using bravado to compensate. Vuxoo was apparently found among a group of Mandelorians and seemed to be trying to adjust to the idea she would be learning to fight with the Force and not a blaster.

Kayla almost bumped into the ill-tempered overseer when he stopped at another door. He pointed through the window at a distant, monolithic pyramid anchored to the top of a mountain.

"That is the academy. If you survive your journey, and if you make it within 48 hours, your training will start. Otherwise, you are dead. You may gather what supplies are available from the medical droid at the base of the stairs. Go." Once the five were on the platform overlooking a long, rugged valley, he shut the door.

As the others hurried to the medical kiosk, Kayla leaned against the wall and considered her options. The Academy would be climate controlled just like this building. The day was scorching hot. She glanced down at the four squabbling over supplies: water, shelter, food, weapons, not enough for five for two days.

She went back inside and sat down. The overseer glared at her. "I told you to go."

"Tonight, I'll go tonight." She picked up a holozine. It was a political publication about the Empire.

The overseer loomed over her and glowered his fiercest. "If you are not at the Academy by this time the day after tomorrow, you are dead. The punishment for late arrival is death."

She glanced up from the holozine. "That sounds a little harsh if you ask me. Don't worry, I'll be there by morning. I don't handle the heat well. I'm from a very cold climate, not too unlike the Chiss Ascendency." She had used the trip to Korriban to learn as much as she could about the Empire and its allies. "Besides, what's it to you whether I live or die?"

"Fine, you are no concern of mine." The overseer stalked off.

She spent a pleasant day in the cooled orientation building reading everything she could get her hands on, resting, getting something to eat and drink from the food dispenser, and watching the comings and goings of Force users. No more new recruits arrived but experienced Sith arrived for meetings; acolytes, newly graduated Sith, and others departed on business.

As the sun began to set, she stepped out onto the platform and watched the shadows stretch across the valley. She sniffed the air and caught the scent of her four fellow students: fear, frustration, exhaustion, and uncertainty. She also caught the scent of predators emerging for their evening hunt and the scent of a potential meal. Her stomach growled.

Soon the sun set and stars filled the sky; the temperature was dropping rapidly. She descended to the valley floor and moved away from the structures. She inhaled the chilled air and spread her arms. They began to grow and expand, her feet elongated and she rose onto her toes, her coccyx lengthened as did her neck and head. She shook her head spreading it down her long, scaled, golden body. She reared back onto her legs and spread her now golden wings. It felt so good to be herself again.

She raised her wings, and sprang into the air with a massive down stroke launching into the air then found an updraft. She rose up and up and up until the orientation building and the shuttle landing pad were specks below. She had plenty of time to explore and grab some fresh meat before dawn. It would be a glorious night.

For a while, she just played: catching up drafts, diving, banking, looping. It was so good to be flying again. The whole time she played, she used her impressive scenting ability to find a meal. When at last she found something that smelled palatable, she folded her wings and dove. Just above the ground, she back-winged and snatched up an unusually large Tuk'ata with her hind talons. It screamed and roared as she climbed then banked toward the ridge that bordered the cavernous valley.

A precise bite and the head came off. She lapped at the blood that spilled then settled to feast on the body. She hunted twice more that night. When she felt sated, she cleaned the blood off her scales and gore out of her talons and teeth.

She knew the sun would rise soon; she could feel it. She jumped off the cliff and headed toward the distant lights that were the Sith Academy. She approached over what appeared to be a series of tombs flanked by robed colossi with bowed heads and arms folded across their chests.

"Oh, there are many force ghosts here." It was the voice of Grandma Blashe.

"Go make friends," Kayla responded with amusement. "Please share what you learn." She could feel the excitement her great grandmother's presence was stirring among the resident ghosts and smiled.

She saw a taxi pad with enough space for her to land; there was no one other than the attending droid. She glided in to land gently and instantly shifted into human form.

The droid watched her land and change then short-circuited. "I guess that was a bit much for you," she said and pressed its reset button.

She climbed the wide stairs to the gaping entrance of the building. The second floor extended out over the stairs and was supported by two kneeling Atlantes. Just inside the entry, the hall split around a wall bedecked with empirical banners behind statues of robed Sith. The ceiling soared overhead. There was enough room for her to walk upright in her natural form and hit neither head nor wings.

She followed the hallway around to the right. On her left was a towering figure in an alcove back-lit by red lights. To the right the hall led into the school proper. Two red-robed guards with vibroblades stood at attention on each side of the exact middle of the hall. As a Force user walked toward her, they kneeled.

"Do not dawdle, acolyte," the man grumbled. "You know where you should be. Go there."

"Actually, I don't. I have just arrived with instructions to report here. I'm a bit early and wonder what I should do." She looked at him hopefully for direction.

He snorted a scoff. "Imbecile." He pointed into the main chamber then indicated left. "You will find Overseer Ruhut in his office."

"Thank you." Ruhut was a Rattataki name. She sniffed the air and picked up the scent then followed it.

She found the office at the end of several corridors. She had to wait awhile until the man showed up; she spent the time studying the artifacts on the shelves and walls.

"Overseer Ruhut? I am Acolyte Kayla'Alda-sha." She greeted when a Rattataki entered.

He was startled out of some reverie by her voice and shocked to find someone in his office this early. He reached for a data pad on his desk and did a quick perusal. "You are not due until tomorrow."

She shrugged. "I'm a tad early. I don't mean to bother you except that I was wondering where I'll be living. I can keep myself busy and out from underfoot until the others arrive."

"No, you are here; your training begins now." He was obviously not prepared, so leafed frantically through some files on the data pad. "Where are the others?"

She could smell his uncertainty. "I suppose they're still in the valley; they walked."

"How did you get here?" He glared at her.

"I flew." She flapped her arms imitating wings. "Much quicker and I could avoid the searing heat."

"Flew? The taxi droids know that no new acolyte is to be flown across the valley."

"I didn't fly via taxi. I flew. I can fly." She saw his disbelief. "Never mind how; I'll explain it to you sometime. Now what do you want me to do?"

He hadn't gone through the syllabus for this in-coming group; that was on today's to-do list; he needed some time. "The acolyte dormitories are downstairs. Find an empty bunk and claim it. Get a practice sword from the armory; first door to the right. The first meal will be served in the dining hall in about an hour. Return to me after you've eaten. I will have a task for you."

"Very well." She left, and after picking up a training vibrosword, made her way down to the dormitories.

Acolytes already in training were just starting to rise. It was easy to find an empty alcove with a bed and dresser. She felt the stares of the others but no one seemed inclined to speak to her. She went about putting away what few belongings she had.

She sat on the bed and watched the interactions of the other acolytes. She could smell the animosity among them; it was very acidic and made her nose itch. She sneezed.

"You're new," a human woman leaned against the wall of Kayla's alcove.

"My but you are an observant whelp." Kayla could smell fear and anger and her aura was weak. "Do you have a name?"

"Analae Netlev. Who are you?"

"Kayla'Alda-sha. Oh, who is that?" Kayla pointed at a Togruta male with an extremely bright Force aura.

Netlev huffed. "That's Cozl. Thinks he's all that. I'll take him down one of these days. I'll take you down too."

"Thank you for the warning but I'll smell you coming a mile away. Have a nice day and watch your back."

Netlev growled and stalked away.

"You're not watching your back," Kayla cheerfully called after her.

Cozl stopped and stared at her. "Hungry?"

"Actually no. I ate on my way here but I am very thirsty."

Cozl indicated Kayla follow. "I'll show you where the dining room is. Bring your sword." He actually waited for Kayla to fall into step beside him. "So you've met the queen bitch. Ana has some kind of chip on her shoulder."

"The whelp weak in the Force and probably knows it; my experience tells me weak people like her feel they need anger to compensate." Kayla was glad he reminded her to bring the sword. She realized that all the acolytes were carrying them no matter where they went, even into the toilets.

"The Sith believe that anger makes you stronger," Cozl said.

"You don't seem very angry yet you are very strong," Kayla noted. Internally, she shook her head; violent emotions don't make one stronger, they just encourage the irrational use of the Force.

In the dining room, Kayla got herself several large glasses of juice and water. The salty blood of the Tuk'atas she had eaten had left her very thirsty and there wasn't a lot of fresh water on Korriban, at least in this area.

Cozl chuckled when she sat down with the tray full of drinks. "You are thirsty. Not used to the heat, I take it."

"No, my home is in the far north of the northern hemisphere of my home world. Lots of snow and ice and freezing weather."

"Then be sure to take a lot of water with you if you go outside." He fell silent and ate.

Kayla downed her drinks and decided to see what Overseer Ruhut had for her.

"Overseer," she addressed him politely as soon as she entered the room.

He looked up with a grimace on his face. "I have received word on the progress of your fellow acolytes; it seems you are already down by one." He was studying her.

She shrugged. "Death happens. You said you would have a task for me."

He filed away her cavalier attitude toward death for future reference. "Well, first you will go upstairs and meet with Lord Samus then Overseer Rance; they will train you in the ways of the Inquisitor and Warrior; at some point you must choose which discipline you will follow. When you have finished with that, you will go to the archives where you will find an ancient Sith tablet. You will translate that tablet and bring the translation back to me."

That sounded easy enough. She smiled and turned to do as told.

"Oh, and neither Lord Samus or Overseer Rance are as forgiving of irreverence as I. I suggest you show them proper respect," Ruhut warned.

She paused but didn't turn. "I give respect where respect is due. Children must earn the respect of their elders." She left before he could respond.

She found Lord Samus on the second floor in a large room with acolytes practicing the force against pells.

"So you are the newest acolyte." He gazed into her eyes taking in the mettle of the woman before him. "Overseer Ruhut told me you were coming and warned that you are insolent."

Kayla raised one eyebrow in mild surprise. "If you are deserving, you will earn my respect."

"Me, earn your respect?" He balked at that. "It is you who should earn mine!" He raised his hand to throw Force lightening at her. He yelped in pain when she seized his fist in a crushing grip.

She held his hand gazing at him placidly. "Never, threaten me, whelp."

Samus could feel the small bones in his hand on the verge of breaking when she let go. He was shocked at the speed and strength with which she had stopped his attack. There was more to her than met the eye. Perhaps she was worthy of his training.

He started her lesson with the Sith code. "Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me."

She didn't agree that peace is a lie and there is only passion. She agreed passion could make her strong and strength led to victory. But she believed power to be an illusion. She agreed that the Force was freedom. She repeated the code by rote and kept her thoughts to herself.

Once he was convinced she had memorized the code, not that she found doing so was difficult, he decided to ascertain her skill with the Force by moving objects, small and light objects at first. He set a soldier's helmet on a table. He stretched out one hand, and through the Force, picked the helmet up, moved it about, and put it down on the table. He instructed her to do the same.

She took a deep breath, stared at the helmet, stretched out her hand, and sent out a spherical blast of Force that slammed everything into the nearest wall. One poor soul was fired down the hallway and over the balcony rail. She winced at his cry of pain when he hit the floor below; he'd recover.

Lord Samus pulled himself up off the floor and glowered at her. He hid his surprise at the power of the Force wave but knew what he had to do.

"If you need aid, report to the medical droid," he barked to the others. "That was a bit too much Force," he growled at her and used the Force to right the table and replace the helmet.

She smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "Don't know my own strength," she quipped.

The other acolytes in the room were righting the mess she had caused.

"Focus on moving the Force through you to the helmet. Concentrate on using only enough to accomplish the task. Refrain from over exuberance. Again."

This time, the Force went through her hand to the helmet but blasted a hole through several walls sending the helmet crashing into objects on a shelf in Overseer Rance's room.

A Sith in the hallway leading to offices in the rear of the building glared through a hole at Samus.

Overseer Rance's angry countenance appeared framed in the farthest hole. "Whatever are you doing over there, Lord Samus? You nearly decapitated me and an acolyte."

"Training a new acolyte who will be coming to you shortly," Samus responded back through the series of holes. He started to turn away then changed his mind. "I am taking her outside where she won't be able to demolish the academy. I'll send for you when it's your turn."

"The helmet is well made," she noted pointing at it imbedded in the wall behind a shelf in Rance's room.

Samus said nothing for a moment then told her to follow him. She felt all eyes on her as she left the room and walked through the academy. It wasn't normal procedure for the instructors to take their training outside.

At the base of the entry steps, he led her off to the left beyond the taxi stand where there was a long stretch of no structures. He sent a couple of soldiers down to clear everyone out and to keep the corridor open. He took a rock about the size of a human head and placed it on another rock. "Again, with control. Sometimes you want to take your opponent alive, not leave them in scattered bits about the countryside."

Over and over and over she worked with him; after about an hour, she could move just the whatever he had found and the whatever it was sitting and the immediate earth around it. By then, everyone had gotten as far away from her as possible. Word was spreading through the Academy about the power of this new acolyte. Several Sith lords had arrived to watch.

Sweat was pouring off Samus, and Kayla was panting when he called a halt. "Tomorrow morning, you will go to the archives and review all information about the physics of the Force. Report to me after the noon meal. I will send for Overseer Rance; he will teach you how to fight with that." He tapped her training sword.

Once he left, she headed over to the medical droid to get something to counteract the heat.

"Your physiology is abnormal for a humanoid," It reported.

"That's because I'm not a humanoid; I just look like one." She took a swig of the drink the droid had provided. She saw Rance exit the building and receive a lot of advice about where he should train her.

He studied the area she had scoured under Samus' tutelage. He harrumphed with a shrug of his shoulders. "Do not use the Force," he told her and faced her. He showed her how to hold the sword and some basic attacks and blocks.

"We will spar starting slow. Use what I've taught you to attack me and block my blows." He took up a defensive stance in front of her. "Now attack but be mindful of technique, not speed yet."

She nodded and hit him on the head with the practice sword.

Rance took the hit before he could blink; he threw up a shield in time not to take the next shot to his head. She was fast and very strong. "Stop," he yelled before she hit him a third time. He did a quick healing of himself and rubbed his jaw in thought. "That is a sword, not a hammer." Once again he showed her basic blocks and attacks. "Stop flailing! Mirror what I do." Very slowly he walked her through the motions. Very slowly, she followed his example.

"This seems an extreme waste of time when I can just blow you to the other side of the valley," she commented when she finished.

"Sometimes, you want to defeat your opponent, not obliterate them." Rance took a deep breath. "Leaving evidence of your power causes fear and thus obedience."

"Well, I can just do this."

Rance found himself force pinned to the ground. He felt like something huge was sitting on his chest squeezing the air out of him. He tried to tell her to let him up but managed only a squeak.

"Defeated," she cheered throwing her hands in the air and dancing in a circle. She then released him.

"You said you are here to learn to control the Force, not throw it around like a boulder. I am trying to teach you control. There are two ways to hold your light saber: single handed and two handed." Again he showed her. "Now mimic my moves and say the names with me."

She did as instructed while feeling it a waste of time; but she had come here to learn so she would learn. It couldn't hurt.

"Use your wrists," Rance told her momentarily stopping the instruction. He showed how flexing her wrists allowed for more coverage in a block. "You're flailing like a rancor. Unless you control your lightsaber with precision, you won't control the Force flowing through it."

He kept her practicing until he decided she understood. He too proceeded to work with her on gauging the amount of Force she should use to explode a rock. "You are not trying to throw your opponent to the far side of the Valley of the Lords nor are you trying to take him alive, as you were learning with Lord Samus. He is an inquisitor; he wants his enemies alive for questioning. I am a warrior; I want my enemies dead but a testament to the power of the Sith."

The moment he set a rock out, there was tremendous scrambling to get clear of any spill over Kayla might create when using the Force.

Kayla blew the rock into tiny shards, and the rock it was sitting on, and the rock beyond, and the rock on the right and the rock on the left, and left a crater the size of a speeder in the ground.

"That is what I call overkill," Rance announced as he used the Force to fill the crater. "It would be adequate if your goal is to destroy a planet or a star destroyer. Woman, you have a tremendous amount of power at your beck and call. Where did you get that?"

Kayla shrugged. "We are all born this way. We use the Force for construction. We used to use if for warfare but have been at peace for generations now."

"We being…" Rance left the question hanging.

"My species." She saw his quizzical expression. "As I told the droid, I'm not human, I just look human. The… my leader sent me out to learn about the other species occupying the galaxy." She told him about being on Corellia and meeting Lord Mif'aria'trou.

"I read her report on you," Rance told her. "She said you are strong with the Force. Are all your people this strong?"

She nodded.

"What happens to those born Force blind?"

"Force blind?" she asked never having heard the term.

"With no connection to the Force," he explained.

She thought a while. "I can't recollect any of us not having the Force, not being Force sensitive as you say."

"You say you aren't human. What are you?"

She slowly shook her head. "I don't think you're ready to know that yet. Suffice it to say I'm not human and have the ability to take whatever form is necessary." To prove her point, her form shimmered and a very large shyrack stood in her place. After a moment, she shimmered and returned to her human form. "See?" She smiled at him. "Shape-shifting is a defensive mechanism my species developed aeons ago to survive in a hostile world of large predators. They tended not to eat their own." She didn't feel inclined to tell him about her other defensive/offensive abilities.

Rance grunted; he would look into what she was going on about later. He directed her back to the task at hand, causing one small rock to explode as opposed to everything within a parsec of it.

When Rance had released her, several Sith lords were clearing the rubble she had left around tomb openings. She overheard a couple of others commenting on the agitation they sensed from Force ghosts in the surrounding tombs.

When she walked into the dining hall that evening, she was feeling rather pleased with the progress she had made. She had managed to control the force enough to keep its effect within a cone out to about a half a kilometer in front of her.

Her people had used the Force for combat on their planet of origin. When they fled and settled on Sanctuary, they used it to manipulate their environment, building their nesting grounds and creating lakes for water.

She shook out of her head the visage of the horrific battle with the Infinite Empire that nearly devastated all life on their original homeworld, a war that was brought about by their proclivity to infuse the Force into machines, thus warping the Force. To her people, that was no anathema, an abomination.

Cozl slipped into the seat beside her with his tray of vegetable and starch food stuffs. "I see you like red meat." There was distaste in his tone but that was all.

"Most definitely I'm a happy carnivore. So how was your day?" She tore into the very rare bantha steak.

"I spent it down in the Tomb of Tulak Hord looking for a tablet. "Ran into Netlev." There was a pause. "She didn't survive the encounter." His statement was very matter of fact, but Kayla sensed his anxiety. "You were right, she was very weak. I heard about your training today; everybody heard about your training today. I was stuck in the tomb from your training today; had to dig my way out." That comment carried a tinge of amusement.

"Sorry about that," she quipped. "I envy your ability to use the Force so precisely. I hope to develop that level of proficiency."

Cozl nodded and he took a gulp of water. "You will. I think I envy your Force strength. I hope we never have to fight one another."

She shifted to look squarely at him. "I agree. I much prefer you as a friend, which seems to be a rare commodity in this place."

"The Sith don't encourage friendships among acolytes; though they do encourage relationships, the more passionate the better. That is so unlike the Jedi. They seem to think loving another is bad for the Force." He put his utensils down and grimaced. "How can you have compassion, sympathy, and empathy if you can't love someone?"

She sensed a very personal story here but grunted her agreement. "My observations of the Jedi is that they have a pedantic public face. Their true face, however, is just as vicious, just as brutal as any Sith. Killing is killing whether you claim it is for love and hate or for morality. I personally prefer not to kill if I can help it."

"If you can help it? Have you killed someone before?" His question was one of curiosity, not born of amazement.

Kayla noted his wording. Though he was representing his battle with Netlev as a matter of course, killing her had a profound effect on him. "Yes, I've killed, for love." She took a deep breath. "Among my people we have a mating ritual. When the female comes into heat, she is beset by aggressive male suitors. They will fight one another for the honor of mating; at the same time, the female is… winnowing out the weak we shall say. It's a very bloody and deadly event. It's not uncommon for severe injury or death to occur. I killed one of my suitors when last I came into heat. Ripped his throat open to be exact."

Cozl grimaced. "How did you feel afterwards?"

"Well once the fever of heat was past, I regretted it; I made atonement to his family and the other males injured in the ritual. But death is a part of life. The worst thing about it is knowing I wasn't in my right mind and had no control over my actions. Rising is such a primeval, instinctive act. It strips away all reason. But it's also a part of life; in fact it's the essence of life, for a new member of our species comes from it. I named my son for the drag… for the male I killed."

"You have a son? How old is he?" Cozl asked quite surprised.

Kayla did some calculating. "He's in his fives now."

"Oh, do you miss him?" Cozl asked.

"Yes, I miss him, and his father and my other child; I miss my whole family. So have you ever loved?" She ventured cautiously. "I mean anyone other than your immediate family."

He nodded with a touch of sadness. "We went our separate ways. I-I think she was carrying my child at the time. If so, that child would be three now."

Kayla finished her steak and took her tray to the cleaning station. As she was leaving, Cozl stopped her.

"Want to join me for drinks at the cantina?"

She smiled. "That sounds nice. Do they have music?"

Cozl shrugged. "Yes, though it's canned, not a live band." He headed up the stairs to the ground floor and she followed.

The cantina was extremely small, little more than an alcove off the hall that circled the atrium of the Academy. They slipped into the seats at an empty table and ordered their drinks from a Twi'lek slave.

"It seems that every time I turn around in Imperial territory, I see a Twi'lek as a slave. Why is that?" She asked.

"The Empire conquered their home world about fifty years ago. Imperials don't have a very high regard for non-human races and the Twi'leks and Evocii seem to be at the very bottom of their food chain."

They drank and chatted for a long time. She grilled him about his knowledge of both the Empire and the Republic. She was able to deduce from what he said that at some point he had been a student of the Jedi. That explained the duplicity she sensed in him.

Ultimately he yawned and excused himself. He said he had to go into the Tomb of Naga Sadow in the morning to retrieve some ancient light saber.

She shuddered at the thought of having to touch a light saber, though in time that would be expected of her. She watched him leave and finished her drink. As she left, she saw Overseer Ruhut.

He stopped her. "Latest report, another prospective acolyte has been eliminated."

"Do you know who still survives?"

"The Zabrak and the Twi-lek."

"Vuxoo is a Mandelorian and well able to take care of herself. Ienew'kula is quite strong with the Force. They are the two most logical to survive the journey here."

"I heard you turned into a shyrack in front of Overseer Rance today. Now I understand how you flew here. Be in my office tomorrow morning after you eat. We will greet the survivor or survivors together."

"Yes, sir," she acknowledged and headed for the library. She had a lot of research to do.

Page **15** of **15**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Kayla reviewed everything about the Force she could find in the archives even the holocrons. Benign as they were, the merging of the Force with technology still made her skin crawl.

It amazed her the amount of knowledge that had been amassed and the study time put into the subject. For her and her people the Force just was, like the air and water and earth; no one had bothered to study it to the extent the humanoid races had. If her race had studied the Force, they might have learned how to wield it more precisely.

When other acolytes and Sith began arriving in the archives, she realized it was morning. She went to the dining hall and got herself juice to drink and fried meat strips to eat. Cozl was nowhere to be seen; she figured he was probably already in the Tomb of Naga Sadow.

After she ate, she reported to Overseer Ruhut as he had instructed. He was reviewing several data pads on his desk. He glanced up when she entered. "Sit, we have a while before the first acolyte arrives."

Kayla would have rather been spending the time working on channeling the Force. She had learned much on the theory of it in her studies. As she sat there waiting, she tried an exercise: forming a small ball of force and passing it between both hands. It was in one of the ancient treatises she had reviewed.

The explosion knocked everything on Ruhut's precise desk askew. "On second thought, go outside and play. You'll see them when they arrive and can direct them to my office. When both have arrived, come back."

When Kayla started forming the small Force ball outside, everyone scattered. She had managed to reduce the size of the ball down to that of a shuttle when she saw both Vuxoo and Ienew arrive, both looking exhausted and the worse for wear.

They were shocked to see her quite fresh and rested when she cheerfully greeted them. They asked how she had managed to beat them to the Academy, but she shrugged off their question and led them to Overseer Ruhut.

He came around his desk and stood in front of the three. "So you three have survived the first test of this final stage of your training. If you think that was hard, you've seen nothing yet. Your training begins here; you will study the philosophy of great Lords of the Sith, who have gone before, and learn to understand the code of the Sith. You will take courses in politics, psychology, and military strategy and tactics. In addition, you will spend time with trainers learning the intricacies of wielding the Force. Only when you have mastered the basics will you be allowed to use it in practical situations."

He gave the three of them their schedule of courses, which would begin the next morning; he then gave Vuxoo and Ienew their tasks for the day: settle their gear, obtain a practice sword from the armory, and report to Lord Samus. After the noon meal, they would report to Overseer Rance. It was much the same as Kayla had done the day before; she was to show them around.

The three presented themselves to Lord Samus. He eyed Kayla nervously.

"I've been practicing," she offered eagerly. "Want to see?"

His gaze shifted momentarily to the workmen repairing the hole in his wall.

"I'll go practice outside," she offered and left.

At the base of the broad stairs leading up to the Academy, she was met by a Sith who announced himself as Inquisitor Arzanon. He had watched her efforts the day before and was well aware of the havoc she could wreak.

A powerful Sith was always welcomed, but a Sith who could inadvertently kill everyone was scary. You couldn't just let her walk about without knowing how to control what she had; nor could you kill her before she killed you, even by mistake.

"You will come with me," he ordered and started into the Valley of the Lords away from any structures of value.

"Who are you to presume to be my teacher?" she asked without moving.

"I am a Lord of the Sith and you are an acolyte. If you cannot show respect for your betters, I will teach you respect."

"What makes you think you are better than me?" Her question wasn't a challenge, she really wanted to know why he thought that.

Without answering, he drew his lightsaber and attacked. She blocked the attack with her practice sword. He shot out his hand and blue lightening lept from his fingers toward her.

She threw up her other hand and seemed to catch the lightening then threw it back at him. He dodged the lightening. She could sense a moment of doubt and fear at her counter attack.

He augmented his saber attack with the Force and it cut through her practice sword. He came in for a death blow and she caught the sizzling saber in her hand. Suddenly he was flung against the nearest colossus. His head slammed back, and he momentarily blacked out.

He shook his head and focused enough to see her glaring down at him.

She stood over him. "I take orders from no one unless I so choose. Don't ever do that again or I shall kill you. If you want to train me, go through Overseer Ruhut and don't ever presume to be my better. Do you understand me, whelp?"

She didn't wait for an answer but walked away leaving him on the ground. She found a secluded place and continued with the Force ball exercise.

Her first effort was a shuttle sized ball bowling down the valley at high speed devastating all life in its way. By noon, she had the ball down to the size of a small tuk'ata but it still careened off dangerously on its own at high speed.

She was relieved to return to the cool halls of the Academy for her noon meal. After picking up a new practice sword, she headed for the dining hall and got herself a tray of rare burger and juice. She decided she would go hunting that night. The bantha steak, fried meat strips, and nerf burgers were alright for snacks but her metabolism required more.

She sat with Vuxoo and Ienew and let them speak of their trek across the dessert to the Academy. She carefully explained her ability to shapeshift and how she flew in two nights ago.

She glanced around and noticed that Cozl wasn't back from the tomb yet. She sensed he was well and went with Vuxoo and Ienew back to Ruhut's office.

He sent the other two to Overseer Rance and studied Kayla. "You tried to kill Lord Arzanon today."

"He tried to kill me. Do not expect me to blithely allow that to happen. The next time he, or anyone else, attacks me, I shall kill them. Make sure everyone is forewarned."

Ruhut heaved a deep breath. "I have no doubt you are capable and willing to do so. However, killing one another here is intensely frowned upon. Your fight with Lord Arzanon today has drawn the attention of several Darths. You bested a Sith Lord and are considered only an acolyte. Some of us recognize how powerful you are; some do not."

"So are you warning me that someone might try to kill me or are you warning me not to inadvertently kill weak idiots?" She shook her head. "As I understand the Sith Code, you are all about 'only the strong survive.' Am I mistaken?"

"No you are not and for my part I don't care; if you are attacked, you must defend yourself to your fullest capability. That is the Sith way. However, there are those 'idiots' who will feel the need to pit themselves against you and accidents happen." He made sure she understood his meaning.

She nodded her understanding: she would have to watch her back and it would be appreciated if she didn't kill any weak idiots, at least not yet.

"Overseer Rance wants you to work with Lord Destron, Commander of the Imperial Guard. You'll find him in the atrium near the statue speaking with Lord Abaron."

Kayla found the two Sith purebloods chatting. She stood back and listened to their conversation.

"Several acolytes were unable to complete their tasks due to actions of the Force ghosts. In all my years here, I have never known them to be so agitated," Abaron said.

Destron nodded. "I've heard similar reports from acolytes trying to recover artifacts from the Tomb of Ludo Kressh. Though they indicated they weren't attacked by the ghosts, they kept running into one ghost that would not let them proceed. They had to find other ways to reach their destinations."

'Grandma,' Kayla muttered shaking her head. She stepped forward and introduced herself.

Destron laughed. "You need no introduction, woman. Your reputation for destruction precedes you. I saw you best Lord Arzanon early. Come along." He guided her back to where she had been working that morning. As she had promised herself, she brought along a lot of water.

Destron wanted to teach her about channeling the force through her weapon. He decided to take another tack when she blew up her practice sword. He found a withered branch and Force shaped it into a sword and handed it to her. "Use this."

"How did you do that?" she asked excited. "Teach me."

It did not slip past him the awe with which she watched him shape the stick. He decided that if he taught her how to form items through the Force, it might help her control. He started reshaping the stick and explained how he was doing that. It was obvious from her morning's thrashing of Lord Arzanon that she was a very powerful. Her previous day's sparring with Overseer Rance indicated she was a proficient if unconventional fighter.

The first stick she tried to shape burst into flames. Destron noted that the flames had no effect on her and filed that information away for future reference. By the time they wrapped up her morning session, she had managed to reshape a rock in that it was flat when she finished.

When she saw Cozl in the dormitories that afternoon, he was in the company of a Twi'lek wearing a slave collar and packing his gear.

"I take it you're done here?" she asked leaning against the wall. She pointed at the lightsaber hanging from his waist.

"Yes. Vette and I are going to Dromund Kaas; I'm Darth Baras' apprentice now." He closed his back pack and slung it over his shoulder.

"Why do I get the feeling you are not wholly pleased with that assignment?" she asked.

Cozl shrugged. "It's hard to put into words."

She nodded. "Then trust your feelings, not him. You're very strong in the Force and will do well. Take from him what you need and discard the rest."

"Sound Sith advice." He stuck out his hand. "I hope we meet again, and as friends."

She straightened and shook his hand. "It was a pleasure Cozl. I know you'll do very well. Do me a favor. Don't ever compromise your honor."

His smiled and nodded. "I'll do my very best, and you do me a favor. Don't raze this place to the ground or kill anyone inadvertently. I heard about what you did to Lord Arzanon."

They both laughed and he left and the Twi'lek.

The next several months were spent learning philosophy behind the Sith code, the history of the Sith, military history and leadership, political science, psychology, and how to control and manipulate the Force. It took Kayla a lot of work and patience to control the Force. When she did, she honed the skill by using the Force to etch intricate designs into rocks and metal scattered around the grounds outside the academy building.

When they weren't training or studying, the three were together. It was a comfortable friendship born of respect for one another's strength with the Force. Ienew and Kayla enjoyed hearing about Vuxoo's adventures with her Mandelorian clan. She was an excellent story teller with a wry sense of humor. Kayla worked hard to help Ienew shed the slave mindset to which he was still chained.

Some of the more advanced students had taken to bullying and harassing him. Neither Vuxoo nor Kayla stepped in to defend him; they knew he had to learn to do that himself. They did, however, ensure that if there was a fight, it would be fair; Vuxoo's sense of honor would allow no less. She believed in the weak being winnowed out, but she knew Ienew wasn't weak, just uncertain. There was a difference.

The day finally came when she, Vuxoo, and Ienew were sent out on their own to find some misplaced tablets and thus use what they had learned. Each was assigned to search a different tomb. Ienew went to the tomb of Tulak Hord. Vuxoo went to the tomb of Marka Ragnos. Kayla was to search the tomb of Naga Sadow.

"Be wary in the dark; there are failed acolytes there who will stop at nothing to redeem themselves," Ruhut had warned them.

Kayla was relieved to step into the cool, dark catacombs. She adjusted her eyes for infra-vision. To her, the black tunnels were as clear as in daylight. The walls, ceiling and floor were dark blue; an insects scuttling across the floor were a lighter shade of blue. The footprints of others in the tomb were light yellow to purple depending upon when they had passed.

She began moving silently through the catacombs looking for any warm-blooded creature. As she approached a small recess to her right, she noticed the unmistakable imprint of a crouched human. She pressed herself against the rough surface of the opposite wall and used the force to hide her presence. She was certain the person was relying on his normal eyesight and hearing to locate his target. Kayla slipped by without incident.

"It's this way," Grandma Blashe whispered in Kayla's head.

"Grandma, what have you been up to? Everyone is talking about how agitated the local Force ghosts are."

"Just visiting. You should commune with them. They have a wealth of information and a comforting, long-view perspective." There was an expectant wait. "Well? Are you going to commune or not?"

"Now?" Kayla asked.

"No time like the present," Grandma Blashe quipped.

Kayla shrugged, got comfortable, and sought the presence of a deceased Force user.

The spirit first appeared as a pale light then took the shape of a woman. She and Kayla studied one another.

"Grandma Blashe said I should commune with you. Who are you?"

"I am Tiba Sahn. You are very powerful," the Force ghost answered and shuddered as if from pleasure. "You are as powerful as your daughter."

"She was once my daughter, now she is my great-grandmother. Why have you not completed the circle?" Kayla asked Sahn's ghost.

"Why has Blashe not?"

"I asked first," Kayla countered. "Besides, your mortal life span is such a brief glimmer of light, it's long past time for you to complete the circle."

"I can do more good here. I am far more powerful now than I ever was in life. There is so much I can teach acolytes, even the lords and darths."

"But you aren't teaching them. You're hiding in this pit isolated from the universe. If you had ever come out, I and Blashe would have sensed it."

"You are an insolent child," the ghost hissed.

Kayla laughed. "You were born, lived, and died between the birth of my second child and when he was weened. You are the child."

"Be polite, Kayla," Blashe chastised.

"Very well, what can you teach me Lord Sahn?"

"It is what you can teach me," the ghost. "You know how to fuse the Force with technology. You…"

"Enough!" Kayla stood abruptly. "That is anathema to us and you know it. Are you trying to make me angry to the point of obliterating your spirit from the universe? That knowledge died out 20,000 years ago and it shall remain dead!" She started off into the dark of the tomb.

"But you were there." The ghost of Tiba Sahn pled.

Kayla sent out a Force blast that shattered the ghost. It would take it some time to pull itself together again.

"Grandma Blashe, did you know she would ask that of me?" Kayla snarled.

"No, I did not. Even in death, some of these Force users are greedy and foolish. Your tablet is this way."

Kayla followed her progenitor's ghost. She slipped past several other failed acolytes as she moved through the tunnels. She could see the bioluminescence in the cavern up ahead before she reached it. She could also tell a large group of humanoids had gathered there. They would be able to see her. She crept to the entrance, squatted in the shadows, and scanned the cavern. Across the way she could detect a stone about two feet by four feet that was of a different temperature than the stone around it. That indicated it was a different type of stone not native to the area.

"Be careful, it's boobytrapped," her great-grandmother warned and slipped away.

She could also see bones scattered about the floor, some fairly fresh and some were human. The smell of cannibalism and defecation filled her nostrils. She heard the sound of ground water dripping into a puddle off to her left and saw the cool color indicating the water source for the cavern's occupants.

She felt herself touched by the force as someone in the cavern probed. She didn't move but watched the group. Almost as one, they began moving toward the shadows in which she hid. As they neared, she silently backed deeper into the blackness where she could see them but they couldn't see her. They followed the Force trail.

She shape-shifted and sprang on the leaders attacking with speed and precision. They quickly fell to talons and teeth; the others retreated to the dimly lit cavern. She counted seven as they spread out in the hopes for drawing her into their web.

She shot out a blast of Force knocking them all back against the cavern wall. She rushed for the alcove in which the tablet rest. She spun to face those who attacked. The five hesitated a moment at the sight of her; two of them were injured.

She took a deep breath, opened her maw and sent a jet of white-hot fire turning to ensure she covered the entire cavern. As the remaining residents died screaming in flames, she turned her back on them and studied the stone in the alcove.

She could see the etchings and determined it was in fact the tablet she sought. The moment she picked it up, the floor fell out from under her feet. She flew up holding the tablet in her right, wing talons. She banked away from the alcove and heard the ceiling start to groan and crack.

She shot into the tunnel just as bits of stone began to fall. The tunnels were narrow and she couldn't fit in them in her full size but the ceiling was collapsing behind her; she had to move fast. She put the tablet in her mouth and shifted again to a smaller version of her natural self. The tips of her wings brushed the walls of the tunnels as she raced back to the entrance. Behind her she heard the wails and screams of acolytes caught in the collapse.

She finally reached the main tunnel and banked to follow it to the entrance. Her passing knocked several other students down but she didn't slacken her pace.

She broke into sunlight, expanded to her full size, and let out a roar to clear her throat of rock dust; she was followed by acolytes running for safety. A cloud of dust exploded out the cave entrance. Sith lords and acolytes gaped at the massive winged creature that had emerged roaring from the tunnel.

The sun glint off her golden skin. She rose on massive bat-like wings and soared over the Academy before slowly descending toward the taxi pad.

Kayla back winged and landed lightly on her hind legs. She took the tablet out of her mouth and shook herself from nose to tail to clear off any residue dust. Her form shimmered and the creature disappeared to be replaced by the acolyte everyone recognized.

"That was just show-boating," her great-grandmother chastised with amusement.

Kayla grinned, hit the reset button on the taxi droid, and set off to present the tablet to Ruhut. She ignored everyone's stare and seemed unaware of people scattering away from her. When she entered Ruhut's office, she noticed he was in the company of several Sith Lords. They all faced her warily. She could smell fear and uncertainty.

"I won't eat you. I'm going hunting tonight. Here's the tablet, Overseer Ruhut. Sorry about the mess, it was booby trapped." She set the tablet on his desk.

No one spoke, they only stared. "What?" she asked. "You've never seen a fire-breathing dragon before?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Kayla," Vuxoo called her and jogged over. "Heard all about today. Not only did you get the tablet but you scared the piss out of everyone."

"Apparently," Kayla admitted. "Though that wasn't my intent. I had to get out of there fast. So how did your quest go?"

"I got the tablet but it wasn't nearly as exciting an adventure as yours." Vuxoo explained how the tablet was easy to find, there were few adversaries she had to fight to reach it, and she walked out without incident. It had taken her all of two hours, most of that traveling to and from the tomb.

"Where's Ienew?" Kayla asked. "Is he back?"

"He came in about a half hour before you. He was pretty banged up and is in the med-bay." Vuxoo headed in that direction. "He ran into a really pissed off, huge tuk'ata; it took a bite out of him, but he got the tablet."

The med-bay was full of dust-covered students who had made it out of Naga Sadow's tomb before total collapse. Two were in kolto tanks. Ienew was sitting on a chair as the med-droid sealed a gash on his arm. He shot them a pained smile.

"Good on ya," Kayla cheered. "We were all successful on our first missions as gophers for old crap."

Ienew managed a chuckle. "I guess you and I now have tales of our own to tell Vuxoo."

"You haven't heard?" Vuxoo immediately regaled Ienew about Kayla's exit from the now collapsed Tomb of Naga Sadow.

"I didn't do it on purpose; the tablet was booby trapped," Kayla quickly defended her actions.

Her statement was met by groans from the other patients.

"So what did Ruhut say to you?" Ienew asked.

"Nothing, he and this group of fish-faced Sith just stared at me. I finally walked out. If anyone has something to say to me, they know where to find me."

"In the middle of the worst destruction Korriban has ever seen," someone mumbled.

"Oh, shut it," Vuxoo snarled. She smiled at Ienew. "None of us have been further tasked for the day. What do you want to do when they release you?"

"Acolyte Ienew'kula is ordered bed rest," the droid announced. "The injured arm must not be used."

"Very well," Vuxoo answered but her eyes were glinting.

The two women waited until Ienew was released and were very conciliatory in helping him leave the med-bay.

"To the cantina," Vuxoo whispered and indicated the direction with a nod of her head; she steadied Ienew.

"But…" Ienew started to protest.

"You will sit quietly and rest your arm. You can lift a drink with your good arm," Kayla explained. "Besides, I know a little trick about healing that will speed up your recovery."

Kayla was particular about sitting on Ienew's injured side. Once they ordered their drinks, she gently wrapped her arms around his and began to hum and sway. Almost immediately, Ienew noticed the pain easing.

Vuxoo asked what she was doing but Kayla just kept humming and swaying in her seat. Vuxoo noted that the low-pitched tuneless humming had a soothing quality to it that affected her as well. Even after her drink arrived, she sat and absorbed the sense of peace and wellbeing that emanated from Kayla.

Finally Kayla released Ienew's arm, picked up her drink, and winked. "To success." She took a gulp. "So, Ienew, today it is your turn to tell us a story of your prowess in battle."

That day was a turning point for Ienew. Surviving the mutant tuk'ata's attack gave him the confidence shot he needed. He walked taller, spoke bolder, and met the eyes of those who spoke to him.

Kayla's training started taking a different tack. She was no longer fight training under Samus or Rance. Lord Destron, Chief of Imperial Guard at the Academy, took over. Kayla was quite happy with the change. He seemed inclined not only to help her focus on precise manipulation of the Force but also to let her practice using it the way she had grown up, big. He was delighted when she used the force to move something huge or destroy a massive target.

"There is a new acolyte, who just arrived," Destron told her one afternoon. "He has received much training outside the academy and is already quite advanced. Both his parents are Sith lords; his mother is Darth Morbia. He has decided that to prove himself, he must destroy you. There is a great probability that you will end up having to fight him and most likely kill him."

Destron indicated a tall, slender yet muscular human with curly brown hair striding along the pathway from the shuttle pad to the academy.

"He has moderate strength," she noted. "He could be a successful Sith though probably never one of note."

"And for him, that is all there is. He feels he must be a Sith of note in order to live up to his parents' expectations." Destron turned her back to their task at hand. "You know the Academy frowns of acolytes outright killing one another. You also know that when in the field, accidents happen."

"Must I kill him?" she asked.

"It is the Sith way; cull the weak and undeserving." His answer was standard.

"If I may, it is a rather stupid way. The instructors at the academy say the Empire needs Sith and so the Academy opens its training to anyone who shows the slightest inclination to being Force sensitive. Yet, the Sith encourage killing each other." She looked at Destron pointedly. "Rather counterproductive if you ask me."

Destron scowled at her. "You will be Sith one day; you will learn what that means."

"Hear me out. The Sith promote personal empowerment and yet give rise to a strict hierarchical, ordered society. Sith, in their hedonistic drive for personal empowerment, create a chaotic environment, which is in exact opposition to the Empire's allegations of order and law." She frowned. "Conversely, my limited observations of the Jedi is that they have a staid and almost cast bound system with a strict ruling council wielding extreme oversight powers; yet they support a dysfunctional republic government." She shrugged. "It's rather confusing to me. It's as if neither Sith nor Jedi can survive without a polar opposite government to balance them."

His scowl deepened. "And where do you fit in?"

She thought a bit. "Well, we are a people ruled by our personal code of justice and honor. The Blue, that's the eldest of the elders and so the _de facto_ leader, and the Council of Elders are our policy makers." She frowned. "Though the last time they made a new policy was centuries ago. That is in part why I'm here, to learn about the galaxy beyond our star system. When I return, they will make policy on whether or not to welcome visitors. On one extreme, they could choose to shut down our system to all outsiders; on the other, they could choose that we be neutral and open our world to all. I don't see the latter happening with what I've observed."

"And what have you observed," Destron challenged.

"Well, humans, and by association their allies, regardless of which government, are greedy, reckless, self-important, destructive, closed-minded, and thus a danger to any society or people that do not meet their personal standard of perfection"

"Hypothetically, what would your people do if, say, the Republic decided to seize your world?" Destron asked.

She smiled sweetly. "I am just one of many. Shall we get back to my training?"

With his previous training, Ayerdahl Tine, the son of the Sith lords was placed with Vuxoo, Ienew, and Kayla. That afternoon was the first meeting in Ruhut's room, which included him; the space among the acolytes crackled with animosity.

Ruhut glared at the four. "I know how common it is for acolytes to meet with 'accidents' when in the field. Rest assured I do not believe in 'accidents' and should any of you meet with an 'accident', I shall investigate it to the fullest and bring the perpetrator to justice. I don't give a damn if you mother is the emperor. Is that clear?"

There were nods and grunts of ascension all around.

"Good. Word of warning, Acolyte Ayerdahl; when I say that Acolyte Kayla will bite your head off if she gets angry, I am not being figurative. She likes her meat fresh, red, and bloody. Am I not correct Acolyte Kayla?"

She grimaced. "Humans are too bony and small for a good meal; though with catsup you do make a tasty snack."

Vuxoo and Ienew tried to hide their chuckles as Ayerdahl scowled deciding the overseer had chosen his favorite in the flippant woman. As he had settled his gear in the dormitory, one of the other acolytes had told him how strong in the Force the three were. He would prove who was strongest.

"Now since you're already trained in philosophy and history and basic fighting techniques, you, Acolyte Tine, are in this advanced group. Today, the four of you will report to Inquisitor Arzanon." He glared when Kayla groaned, "Yes you too and don't kill him. Lord Arzanon is scouring the campus for potential traitors. You know where to find him. Go." Ruhut waved the four off.

The Sith pureblood glared at Kayla as the four approached. He gave on his spiel about the presence of traitors and the need to purge them from the student body and how it was the emperor's will. Nearby, an Imperial Intelligence lieutenant and two troopers processed one of the Force blind maintenance crew, who was in cuffs. Periodically, she threw in a comment supporting Arzanon and explained the scanners which would identify the traitors among acolytes.

Arzanon handed out three. "No I'm not giving you one, Acolyte Kayla; you've blown up numerous pieces of equipment already and my budget doesn't allow for such wanton destruction. Besides, I know you can Force sense the traitors. Oh, and feel free to kill them if that is your will."

"Me? Now why would sweet, gentle me want to kill someone," Kayla countered lightly. She turned and followed Vuxoo and Ienew.

"What are you waiting for, Acolyte Ayerdahl, an engraved invitation? This isn't one of your mother's soirees. Go!" Arzanon pointed after the other three.

"There's one," Kayla pointed.

Vuxoo trained the scanner and confirmed that the acolyte was in the database of suspected traitors. She strode up to the woman and challenged her. The woman tried to run, but Ienew threw out a Force noose and yanked her back by her neck.

"Now what do we do with her," he asked.

"Kill the traitor." Ayerdahl without compunction ran his practice sword into the woman's heart.

"Okay." Kayla rubbed her upper lip. "I suppose that works, and Inquisitor Arzanon did say I could kill if I so chose. There's another."

Vuxoo ran the scan and again confirmed Kayla's call. She let Ayerdahl challenge the suspect and handle him.

"Eager to kill, isn't he?" Ienew noted quietly.

"Without honor," Vuxoo noted with distaste.

"On to the next," Kayla called.

"Let's split up. We can do more damage that way," Ienew suggested. "I'm with Kayla."

"I don't need a babysitter," Ayerdahl grumbled and strode off on his own.

Kayla watched him stalk off. "Arzanon said to stay together so that a group might not overwhelm us."

"I guess he's above being overwhelmed," Vuxoo mocked Ayerdahl's Dromund Kaas accent. "Let's go but keep him in sight."

They had just confronted a pair of identified traitors when they heard Ayerdahl yell, "Traitors, you will all die." He was charging at a group of ten acolytes and troopers.

"Oh shit, I suppose we should help him," Kayla started for the melee. Ayerdahl was being engulfed by the group. She shot out a force blast that sent the group, including Ayerdahl, flying in three different directions. He was trying to rise, when she leapt over him, her practice blade drawn.

As Ienew and Vuxoo fought two each, the remaining six descended on Kayla. A blaster shot hit her shoulder and bounced off the unseen armor of her scales but knocked her over. She bound to her feet, spun, and lopped the shooters hand off sending the blaster flying. She had a moment of inspiration and suddenly everything froze. She looked around. No one on the campus was moving except for one acolyte hoping to jump on Vuxoo from behind; frozen in the air, he fell to the ground. A traitorous trooper near her watched immobilized with terror in his eyes.

"Okay, so you can hear me and think. I'm going to say this just once. When I release you, you will surrender. If you don't, I will turn you into barbeque. Is that clear?" She looked into the trooper's eyes then released the force hold.

"What the hell are you doing now, Acolyte Kayla," Arzanon bellowed from across the compound.

One brave acolyte moved to attack. Kayla spun compressing two sacs in the back of her mouth and spit out a stream of napalm. The acolyte burst into flames and ran screaming until he finally collapsed. The others lay down their weapons.

Troopers came running from the nearby firing range and took the traitors into custody.

"You breathe fire too?" Ienew bellowed in surprise.

"Of course, I wouldn't be a dragon if I didn't." Kayla began gathering up the discarded weapons. "Does Ayerdahl want some help or is he too good for that?"

Vuxoo offered the injured acolyte an arm but he pushed her away and stalked off. "I could smell his terror, not fear but full on terror, of you." She indicated Kayla.

Kayla rubbed her nose. "Yeah. Hello, Inquisitor Arzanon," she greeted.

"What… I… You have to get control of yourself. You didn't need to Force hold the entire Academy." He pointed at a group of Sith lords charging out of the Academy and down the steps toward her.

"What is going on here?" The first to reach them bellowed.

"My Lord Fain, this is Acolyte Kayla'Alda-sha; she has trouble, er, containing the Force." Arzanon held up his hands to calm the lords. "She's very strong with the Force and is learning control. I am sure it will never happen again." He glared at her.

Kayla shrugged. "That's the first time I tried that. I need to practice using it in measured doses; it's a very handy trick. I'd say I'm sorry I interrupted your debate on what to do about the sudden activity of the Force ghosts; but I don't care."

"How do you know what we were discussing?" another demanded.

"You were all thinking very loudly about it. I should think even one of those troopers could have heard your thoughts." She gave them all a concerned look. "You really should learn to keep what you're thinking to yourselves."

"What happened there?" Lord Fain pointed at the charred corpse.

"He attacked me," Kayla explained.

"She breathes fire," Vuxoo offered eagerly.

The group stared at Kayla disbelieving. She nodded. "It's true, I do. You see I have two glands at the back of my mouth that produce…"

"Never mind." Lord Fain spun on his heels and marched off followed by the others.

Arzanon glared at her then stalked back to the taxi stand to explain to the intelligence officer what had happened.

Ienew, Vuxoo, and Kayla stood watching.

"So how did you do that?" Ienew asked. "The two glands?"

"Each produces a chemical which alone is harmless but once the two streams combine and mix with oxygen, it become napalm. You know what napalm is?" They nodded.

"How far can you spit?" Vuxoo asked as they started for the building.

"Up to 300 yards."

This was to be their last task; if they survived, they would be apprenticed to a practicing Lord of the Sith off world.

The four stood before Ruhut's desk waiting for him to speak.

"I must admit I am surprised by you lot," the Rattataki said at last. "Not only have you survived, but you have each come a long way. I expect each one of you to be successful in this your final assigned task and to return victorious. You will all leave immediately for the Crystal Caves of Ilum, and I mean without delay. A shuttle is waiting to take you to Vaiken Spacedock; from there, the _Sith's Revenge_ will take you to Ilum. Go. May the Force make you strong."

They bowed and hurried out to gather their gear. They nearly ran all the way to the shuttle pad. The pilot was leaning casually against his craft when they ran up. He stood at attention as the four boarded then followed.

"Ilum," Ienew finally muttered in awe as the vessel rose from the pad.

"I came here from Ilum," Vuxoo said. "My clan was hired to help keep the Jedi from taking the one Imperial crystal mine." She smiled. "It will be good to see my clan again."

"Ilum is a frozen world. I have spent my life on Korriban." Ienew shuddered at the thought of being cold.

"Stop whining slave," Ayerdahl growled. "It shows how weak you are. I will eradicate weakness from the Empire."

Kayla put her hand on Ienew's shoulder to keep him from reacting. "We are about to leave the atmosphere. The last thing we need to happen is a fight that might breach the hull." She smiled. "I look forward to the cold. Korriban is much too hot for my tastes."

When the shuttle went into hyper drive and the ride smoothed out, a Twi'lek slave brought them food and drink.

It was obvious Ienew was uncomfortable about the deference the female showed him, bowing and averting her eyes and calling him "my lord."

Ayerdahl's reaction to her was to grab her and pull her into a private space. Her cries and his grunting could be heard by the others.

Again Kayla put her hand on Ienew. "He is doing this for the sole purpose of provoking you. This is not the place."

"Accidents happen, especially on a planet as untamed as Ilum," Vuxoo suggested.

Ienew's expression flattened but a fire burned in his eyes.

When Ayerdahl returned, Ienew glared murderously but held his seat and tongue.

Vuxoo stared at Ayerdahl, "It's a good thing you didn't try that with me. You would be dead now."

Ayerdahl grinned as if he had single-handedly won a great battle then occupied himself with his data pad.

At the spacedock, the four were directed up the elevator to the market level and told to enter main dock four for off-world transport.

The _Sith's Revenge_ was there with an impatient lord, completely encased in armor, waiting by the ramp. "Hurry acolytes. I have more important things to do than usher you lot about," his augmented voice was harsh and metallic.

This vessel was large enough that the four didn't have be in close proximity to one another. Each had their own cabin and a service droid to tend to them.

Kayla spent the journey in a state of rest and communing. Grandma Blashe reported that The Blue was becoming concerned at not having heard from Kayla. Kayla passed on what she had learned and explained what she was doing and why. She also passed on her concerns that, over the millennia, the humans of neither the Republic nor the Empire had improved much past their aggression and expansionist attitude; however, she still wanted to spend some time with the Jedi of the Republic before making her final recommendation.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The four touched down on Ilum one standard week after leaving Korriban. The main base was in an area called the Western Ice Shelf and had been built several decades ago for the purpose of hosting Sith acolytes; over the past few years, it had morphed into a staging area for military operations as well. Sith and soldiers bustled about. The soldiers were bundled in their cold-weather gear. The Sith wandered about using the Force to stay warm.

The Sith lord they had travelled with directed them to an office where an overseer from the Academy would apprise them of the situation and give them directions to the caves.

The overseer treated them as if he were too busy to be bothered with them. He gave them a curt briefing on where fighting was taking place and provided them each a map to the caves.

They left the heated confines of the base and stepped into the icy wind blowing across the snow-covered world. Kayla inhaled the bitter cold air and sighed. This was more like her glacial home.

Vuxoo watched Ayerdahl stride off through the snow. "He's going to overtax himself trying to maintain that pace."

Kayla grinned naughtily. "I have an idea. Let's fly." She shimmered and changed into her normal self.

Ienew and Vuxoo stared in disbelief. They hadn't seen her in this form, only heard about it.

"Climb, aboard," Kayla said lowering her shoulders and neck to the ground. "Step on my wing talons, not my wing. Sit between my shoulder spikes and hold on tight." She handed her haversack and practice sword to them and leapt into the air.

Vuxoo whooped joyously when she felt Kayla launch off.

"You should have seen their faces," Ienew yelled against the wind after watching the ground fall away. "You're very warm," he noted as the heat emanated off her and enveloped them.

Vuxoo was watching the ground speed away beneath them. She laughed when she saw Ayerdahl staring up at the huge creature soaring overhead.

Kayla let out a roar of joy. She was happiest when flying. She carried them southwest in a straight line for the caves ducking between jutting mountains. It took her about an hour to reach the entrance into the cave system and she began her descent. She gently landed at the med kiosk just outside the narrow hole that led into the caves.

"That's what he gets for being an elitist prick," Ienew announced hopping down off Kayla's back.

Vuxoo paused and looked at them, sadness in her eyes. "I hope we can continue to be friends and not fall into the vindictive back-stabbing other Sith do in their efforts to advance."

Ienew nodded and, before Vuxoo could pull away, gave her a hug. "You are my friends and always will be.

Vuxoo found she wanted to return the hug; she did so inexpertly. "Same here."

Kayla had changed back to her human form and smiled sadly. "I must return to my people soon. I fear I shall never see you again."

"You aren't going back to Korriban?" Ienew asked surprised and dismayed.

Kayla shook her head. "No, The Council of Elders sent me to learn about the Empire and the Republic. I have completed one half of my task." She gave them both hugs then crouched and squeezed through the hole that was the entrance to the Crystal Caves.

Kayla knew she wouldn't make a light saber; the combining of Force and technology was anathema to her species. She would find a more suitable, a pure use for her crystal.

Once inside, she could stand. She was surrounded by the darkness of the cave, her eyes shifted to infrared vision. "May the Force make you strong," she told the other two as they made their way by her. She heard their responses then settled on her knees. She went into Force meditation and let the Force tell her where she had to go. In her mind's eye she could see the tunnels and turns she would have to take and the creatures of the dark she would face. Her path led her deep into the earth beyond where most acolytes went; she was being led to a single crystal that hummed in harmony with her.

When she stood, she heard Ayerdahl enter the cave. Vuxoo was correct; he had over exerted himself in reaching the caves. Even if Ienew didn't decide to kill him, Ayerdahl would die in these caves. She could see the cooling footprints left by Ienew and Vuxoo; she turned and saw the heat signature of Ayerdahl approaching cautiously and blindly. She set out in the direction the humming crystal was calling her.

At first the tunnel she followed rose into the surrounding mountain. At her first turn, her route began to descend. The footing was loose shale, so she shifted into Selonian form and dropped to all fours. Her haversack hung under her chest and her practice sword sat snuggly in its sheath on her back. The padded feet of this form gave her better grip and she loped easily along following the path she was shown.

She could see the heat signatures of the denizens of the cave so could either avoid them or be prepared to fight them. Mostly, she just exhaled a gout of fire. If that didn't outright kill the creatures, it scared them away. She lost track of time as her route twisted and turned deeper and deeper into the earth.

At one point, the tunnel she was in suddenly stopped at a precipice in a huge cavern. Across the way, down, and to the left was where her journey continued.

She shifted and flew across the abyss. She landed on the ledge and reduced her size before continuing down that tunnel. This section had a solid bottom but ground water dripped from the roof and ran along the floor making it slick.

When she reached the cavern to which the crystal had led her, she figured she had been walking for two days and was deep underground. She could feel thermal heat rising from the floor.

"Who do you think you are intruding upon my peace?" a deep disembodied voice reverberated off the cave walls.

"I mean no disrespect to you. I will take what I came for and go. What do you say?" Kayla reached out with her senses and the Force as she scanned the vast room for signs of life. Whatever spoke was not alive in the same sense as she. "I have been led here for a crystal; it has called to me; it sings to me."

She was knocked back by an invisible force. She immediately sent out a wave of Force and heard the voice wail as she held the wave pinning whatever it was.

"You come to dig and chip and steal," the voice roared. "I will not allow this, not to my children."

As the entity struggled against her, she pushed harder with more Force energy.

"I see you, I see what you truly are, you creature of the sky," the voice snarled angrily. Its struggling seemed to suddenly disappear.

The ground under her heaved up throwing her into the air. She almost didn't catch herself; she flipped and landed on her feet only to be blasted in her chest and slammed against the cave wall.

"You know nothing of me, but I smell you." Now that the entity was active, the room was filling with the smell of stone and moss and fungus. "Name yourself."

"I am Me. I am the Heart of the Mountain." the entity growled. "Fear Me." Rocks started falling on her.

She threw up a Force shield and tried to work her way over to the crystal. "If you truly know me, you know that I am also a creature of the earth. I delve into the depths of the earth to make my nest and raise my hatchling even as I soar above the peaks in search of food and my mate. Name me, Heart."

"Winged Sky Dragon," the voice sounded pained. The rocks stopped falling.

"Then you know, we are of an age, you and I." She still maintained the Force shield in case the Heart attacked again. "You and my species have existed since the dawn of time. You and I have seen other species rise and fall and disappear into oblivion."

Suddenly the ground beneath her again erupted throwing her off balance. She was ready this time. She folded her wings as stalactites fell against her Force shield. "What has my kind done to harm you?"

"It is not your kind, it is you Daughter of Alda. You come to cut away at my bones, my flesh, and steal my child."

"I come because your child called me. I know you heard the call and it singing to me. Would you deny that?" She braced herself and pushed out in all directions hoping to stem any attack.

"I will protect my child as you would your hatchling, dragon."

"Ask the crystal," she countered and felt a slight release. "If I am wrong, I shall leave. If I am correct, the crystal will go with me."

"And you will break it as do all those who come from that accursed scorched hellhole? Never." The Heart sent a violent push but she held against it.

"Why would I break it? If I break it, it cannot sing with me." She sensed another moment of consideration. "Ask your child."

"I will ask my child. If you are correct, you may take it and leave if that is my child's choice. If you lie, you die." The Heart ceased its attack on her.

Kayla took a deep breath and walked over to the humming crystal. A pale glow from the crystal bathed the cavern in dim light. She responded in harmony and the crystal sang louder. She reached out her wing talons and touched the pale crystal lightly. It sang louder. She opened her wing talons to receive the crystal and waited. The singing of the crystal increased until it fell over into her outstretched palm. The silence lay heavy over the cavern.

Kayla held the crystal in her talons. "What say you now, Heart of the Mountain?"

"Take my child and nurture it, Daughter of Alda." The Heart sounded almost defeated.

"I shall cherish it as if it were my own child." Kayla wrapped the crystal in a piece of cloth and put it into her haversack. "I will leave you to your peace now." She bowed her head. "Farewell and thank you, Heart of the Mountain."

"Go, and do not ever return, Daughter of Alda."

She could feel grief in the voice. Quickly, she left the Heart of the Mountain and headed back up the winding, twisting tunnels.

It was night when she reached the mouth of the caves. She couldn't sense Ienew or Vuxoo but she could see evidence of their departure. There was no indication of Ayerdahl; he had not succeeded in this task and would not become a Sith of any kind, much less of note.

Kayla referred to her map and saw that to the north was an area marked as Jedi Ruins. She launched into the air and headed that direction; she would find food along the way.

It was the dark before dawn when Kayla'Alda-sha alit on an arête about a mile from the Jedi ruins. She folded her wings and waited for the dim light. The frozen snow squeaked and crunched beneath her hind feet as she settled into a comfortable position to meditate on her crystal. She decided the best use was to be imbedded in one of her scales; that didn't depend on its being held by any appendage in any form.

The distant sun cracked the northeastern horizon sending its pale light glinting across the snow-covered plains and glaciers. The sun was so far away and its arch across the sky so shallow, full day would never arrive. Ilum was in a perpetual state of gloaming and night.

Kayla shimmered and reformed in her preferred human shape. She dropped her practice sword in the snow and hid the crystal inside her robes; she then set off down the mountain upon which she had landed; the ruins lay on the ice shelf below.

She approached the standing stones outlining what had once been the exterior walls of the temple. There were rings within rings. She heard the blaster fire of Republic and Imperial troops. The ruins were the site of the entrance to the most lucrative crystal caves and coveted by both sides. These caves yielded up Adegan crystals, which were more powerful than the Kyber crystals accessible in the Imperial cave.

She shrouded herself with the Force and made her way around the fighting and toward the northern most part of the ruins. There was a huge opening into the mountain around which soldiers and Jedi busied themselves.

She approached a group of republic soldiers and released the shroud.

"Halt," a Republic sergeant bellowed leaping to his feet and bringing his blaster to bear on her.

She stopped and put her hands out where the soldiers could see she was unarmed. His squad swarmed around her with their weapons ready. One trooper ran off, to get an officer or Jedi.

"I come to speak with the Jedi," she told them, her voice calm and assuring. She let one of them take her haversack.

"Where did you come from?" The sergeant asked.

"I left from the Imperial way station about thirty miles south of here." She felt the soldiers' tension and smelled their fear. "I wish to defect. A Jedi would know I speak the truth." She saw a Jedi sprinting across the space toward the group; his strength registered as moderate. The trooper who went after him trailed behind.

The Cathar Jedi skid to a stop. "You are Sith. What are you doing here?"

"She said she wants to defect," the sergeant offered. "She has no weapon; only the bag."

She nodded confirming what he said. "I came here from Korriban to search for a crystal. I have come to you."

The Jedi studied her intently. "Stand down, sergeant. This matter is for the masters to decide. What is your name?"

"Acolyte Kayla'Alda-sha."

"I am Master Ihin Ras. Come with me." He took the haversack from the sergeant as he indicated she head for the opening into the mountain. He fell in step slightly to the rear of her left shoulder. From this vantage he could keep an eye on her yet seem amicable. "Why have you left the Empire?"

"I seek to learn the way of the Force and don't feel that their way is the only way. I also don't like the environment of paranoia and vengeance. There must be something better." She could feel that there was a very powerful Jedi somewhere in the vicinity. She would really prefer to speak to him or her. "Who is your leader?"

"I don't know that I'm ready to trust you with that information. I'll take you first to the team leader; she will decide what to do with you." He guided her into a cave and to a side cavern with tents and heaters. As they entered a tent, several other Jedi were gathering there.

She took a seat in a chair Master Ras indicated and waited for the others to gather. She quickly picked out the strongest of the lot, a Kel Dor female, who silently studied Kayla. Master Ras proceeded to explain Kayla's presence.

"You came here for a crystal but fled to us instead. How did you accomplish that? We know how closely the Sith watch their acolytes." One of the Jedi asked

"I came with three others. When we arrived at the base, we were given maps to the caves and told to find our way there and back. The Sith believe that the weak should be culled in any way available. We weren't watched, especially once we entered the cave. I entered the cave, completed my task, then came here."

"She speaks the truth," the Kel Dor said in a soft voice. "I can sense the crystal you found. It is very rare and powerful. May we see it?"

Kayla carefully reached into a pocket in her robe and pulled out the pale crystal. She unwrapped the cloth around it and held it in her open hand and smiled. It was humming to her.

The others rose to get a better look.

A human male Jedi gasped. "That's a Pontite crystal. How did you get a Pontite crystal? I didn't think there were any on Ilum."

"I traveled deep into the cave," she cooed affectionately at the crystal. "The Heart of the Mountain allowed me to take it; it's the crystal's will to be with me." She closed her hand around it and slid it back into the safety of her robe.

"Why are you here?" the Kel Dor asked.

"To learn the way of the Jedi. As I told Master Ras, I have learned from the Sith but I find their way dissonant with my nature." She shrugged. "Though they are fun."

"Fun!" The human Jedi shouted. "The Sith are not fun."

All the Jedi looked at him in surprise at his outburst. "Master Ashyll," the Kel Dor softly chastised. "There is only peace."

Master Ashyll bowed his head. "Yes Master Brohnd." He sat getting ahold of himself.

Master Brohnd turned her placid gaze on Kayla. "That you have obtained such a rare and special crystal speaks of your control of the Force. I take it now you wish to study the Jedi way."

"My people sent me to learn about the Empire and the Republic. My world is still isolated though you are moving every closer. We wish to know more of the greater galaxy and its people. I have spent the last year training with the Sith on Korriban and feel there is no more they can teach me. I have also learned what I believe the Council of Elders needs to know about them. Now it is time to learn the way of the Jedi and what I can about the Republic." She figured the more forthcoming she was, the fewer questions later. She wanted them to make a decision with all eyes open.

"Where is your world?" Master Ras asked.

"I'm not willing divulge that as yet."

Master Brohnd stood and extended a hand to Kayla. "I think we have asked you enough questions. I will show you where you might rest. We will then deliberate upon how to proceed. I will speak with you later." She led Kayla to another tent. "Please remain here until I come for you." She turned and left dropping the flap behind her.

Kayla heard a guard take up station outside the tent. She studied the interior: there was a cot, a washstand, a desk, a toilet, and clothes stand. Clean linens were folded and sitting beside a pillow on the bed. Kayla put these on the desk and stretched out on the cot slipping into a meditative state.

It was a while before Master Ras asked for admittance. He announced that a taxi was available to take her to the main Republic Base. Master Brohnd would be escorting her to Tython where she would go before the Jedi Council. Whether or not Kayla would be trained in the Jedi way was up to them. He led her to the Mess Tent where she could get something to eat.

"I didn't think humans normally ate red meat," he commented when she piled her plate with any meat available.

She grinned naughtily, "I'm not human." She bit into the raw Bantha steak relishing the juices filling her mouth and the explosion of flavor. Though she had hunted on her way to this site, Ilum didn't have many edible creatures and she was still hungry. She hoped Tython had a good herbivore population.

"I understand Cathar eat meat but I understand the Jedi refrain," she said after finishing off the steak. "Do you partake or not?"

"I like fish," He admitted. "You seem starved; when did you last eat?"

"The night before I left Korriban was my last really substantial meal; that was about one standard week and a half ago. I ate the supplies I carried with me." She nodded at her haversack. She got him to tell her about his home planet as she finished up her plate and sighed.

She saw Master Brohnd approaching with two soldiers and two Jedi. They would be taking no chances with a Sith, even if she was just an acolyte. "I believe my escort comes."

"Master Ras, you will be in charge in my absence. Keep everyone searching. I will return as soon as I have delivered Kayla'Alda-sha." Brohnd indicated Kayla come with her.

Kayla walked in the middle of the group of soldiers and Jedi with Brohnd bringing up the rear. She tried not to giggle; it would be so easy for her to overpower the group; she chose not to. The taxi seated six and was enclosed; it could fly higher than smaller taxis and so avoid any enemy fire.

"You have not yet made your lightsaber," Brohnd noted once they were in the air.

"I'm not making it into a saber. I'll need time, space, and quiet for what I plan."

"What are you planning if not a lightsaber?" Brohnd asked.

Kayla realized the Jedi was testing her. She explained what she had seen in her meditation.

"I have heard of such a thing but it has not been done in hundreds of years. Why are you choosing this?"

"Convenience," Kayla answered simply with a shrug.

"How did you end up training at Korriban?" Brohnd asked.

"Well, I was on Correlia and ran into this very powerful Sith, Lord Mif'aria'trou. The Force fairly crackled like lightening around her; not too unlike you." She shot a side-long glance at Brohnd and saw the Jedi register the comment. "She told me that because I was Force sensitive and in Imperial territory I had to go to Korriban. So I went."

"You said you found the Sith to be fun. How are they fun?" There was amusement in Brohnd's voice.

"They are so anal retentive. It was quite easy to throw the entire Academy into an absolute tizzy. I found that funny. My personal philosophy is that you must always be ready to alter course when the wind changes direction." She looked out the window at the ground below. "They are also incredible snobs. Nothing brings out the imp in me faster than elitism. Among my people, teamwork is paramount. Nothing gets done without teamwork. We trust one another to protect us when we're at our most vulnerable. That too is a concept foreign to the Sith. They're self-serving hedonists." She looked into Brohnd's eyes. "I hope the Jedi are very different."

When the taxi put down at the main Republic base, Brohnd took Kayla inside and found a room where they could wait until a shuttle to the spaceport was available. She sent one of the accompanying Jedi to arrange their trip to Tython.

Kayla studied the base and noted that other than the color of the uniforms and banners, it was not unlike the Imperial base. The biggest difference was the lack of fear that permeated the Empire; everyone there had been terrified of the unpredictable Sith.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

By the time Master Brohnd and Kayla stepped off the shuttle on Tython, Kayla was downright cranky with hunger. It had now been almost four standard weeks without a significant meal. She had nearly eaten the transport out of all food stuffs on the journey between the Ilum spaceport and Garrick Station, the headquarters for the Republic Fleet. She hadn't been on the space station long enough to eat anything.

She looked out across the green forests of Tython and could smell so many good things out there waiting for her. She might be in a human body but she still had a dragon's metabolism to feed; and that metabolism was running low.

"What do you smell?" Brohnd asked noticing her sniffing the air.

"Dinner," Kayla admitted. "I don't want to sound all sithy but I hope this doesn't take long. I really need to hunt." She noted Brohnd's reaction to that. "I know I haven't explained much beyond I'm not human. Suffice it to say, we are carnivores who hunt for our meals and have, as you might have noticed, a large appetite."

"Yes, for red meat no less." Brohnd was vegan and had already expressed her distaste for Kayla's carnivorous bent. "You will be released at the Council's pleasure. A taxi will take us to the temple."

Kayla and Brohnd secured a taxi, which skittered across the tops of the trees then banked following a rocky gorge carved by a river. They burst out of the gorge near a large round structure and flew low across several training areas to land in a field between a road and a med kiosk.

Brohnd gestured toward the building. "The Jedi Temple."

Kayla took in the groups of students training against pells and sparring droids. Each group was under the watchful eye of a Jedi. She and Brohnd walked along a wide boulevard lined with granite walls and crossed shallow reflecting pools. Some students sat on the walls studying or chatting. They looked up and watched the pair pass nodding to Master Brohnd.

She and the Jedi climbed the stairs that led to the main entrance. Jedi in armor and pale-yellow tabards, holding double-bladed lightsabers stood either side of the entrance. The two-story double-doors swung open as they approached. Kayla sensed Brohnd using the Force to open the massive doors. Inside the circular atrium, a huge holocron was Force suspended between two wide, curving staircases. Several hallways led off the first floor.

Kayla shuddered as she stared at the ostentatious abuse of the Force. Brohnd tapped her shoulder and urged her to follow.

Brohnd led Kayla up the stairs and paused in front of another set of massive doors. These were arched and inlaid with scrollwork. Brohnd entered telling Kayla to wait. As she did, Kayla read the scroll work; it seemed to be a history of the Jedi dating back about 10,000 years. At last the doors swung open and Kayla entered.

In the middle of this room was a circular table with seven chairs and a life-sized holoterminal in its center. The room was large enough and the ceiling high enough that Kayla could fit comfortably in her natural form. She was almost tempted.

Brohnd was seated in one of the chairs to Kayla's right, "Masters, may I present Kayla'Alda-sha; the Sith acolyte I told you about. Kayla, these are Masters Satele Shan, Bella Kiwiiks, and Tol Braga; the other council members are in the field."

Kayla bowed her head to the assembled group. She recognized immediately that they were all very powerful and understood why they were on the Council. Her crystal vibrated contentedly in her breast pocket.

A woman, Master Shan, to her left addressed her. "So you want to be a Padawan?"

"I should very much like to understand the way of the Jedi and the Republic," Kayla responded.

Tol Braga leaned forward in his chair. His deep voice filled the room. "Una said that you found a Pontite crystal on Ilum. Mind telling us how you came by it?"

Kayla told the story of being led to the crystal and her struggle with the Heart of the Mountain. When they asked to see the crystal, she showed them. She felt the masters' reactions to seeing it. She had taken the time on the trip to Tython to research Pontite crystals and now understood everyone's awe; they were very rare and very powerful. Once she felt they had seen it sufficiently, she slipped it back into her robe pocket.

"Master Brohnd informed us that you are from a world that is neither in the Empire nor in the Republic, that you were sent to learn about us." Master Shan was reviewing a data pad in front of her. She looked up at Kayla. "Tell us about your world."

"Well, we are in an area you would call Wild Space, a section of the galaxy that both the Republic and the Empire are just starting to chart and explore. We have enjoyed our isolation for millennia and are not sure we want to end that isolation. The Council of Elders wants to know more about you before making their decision."

"Would you describe your people as pacifists?" Master Braga asked.

Kayla gave a snort. "No, but we aren't war mongers. We will fight to defend ourselves."

"You told Master Brohnd that all your people are Force sensitive." Shan gave Kalya a quizzical look. "But you want to learn about it."

"We don't work with the Force as the Jedi or the Sith. It's a part of us, like my head and heart and wings. It's around us like the air, earth, and water." She thought a moment about how much she should divulge. "An incident over 20,000 years ago caused us to be cautious in the use of the Force and of other species; a war nearly destroyed our original homeworld. I understand it is now occupied, but…" She let it hang as sadness filled her.

The four looked pensive and exchanged glances.

"We will deliberate on your request and inform you of our decision," Master Shan dismissed Kayla. "Master Brohnd, please see that Kayla is settled then return to us."

Kayla bowed her head and left the council room with Brohnd.

"I got the feeling they don't trust me, having studied on Korriban and all." Kayla mentioned as they headed down the stairs.

"It is not unusual for a Sith to decide to follow the Jedi way. We have several former Sith here at this moment," Brohnd explained. She led Kayla down one of the side halls off the ground floor into a secondary structure. There, a very young, human woman manned a desk. Brohnd asked the woman for keys to an empty room then led Kayla to her new quarters.

"These are the dormitories for students; the dining room is in the basement and there is a community room on each floor. Please do not leave the building so that I might find you once the Council has made its decision." Brohnd handed Kayla the room key and left.

Everything in the room was the same neutral color; it was large enough for a bed, desk, dresser, closet, and shelves. it had a window overlooking one of the practice fields. Kayla stowed her meager belongings in the dresser and hung up her traveling cloak. Since she seemed permitted to do so, she decided to go to the community room.

The room was at the end of the hall with windows filling the arched wall providing a panoramic view of the mountains and training fields. There were sofas and chairs scattered about as well has tables with hologames, a food dispenser for light snacks, books, parchments, scrolls, and holocrons on shelves, and an open area for dancing with soft canned music. There were seven students relaxing in the room when Kayla entered. They fell silent when they saw her; her sharp hearing picked up a whispered reference to Sith.

With an enigmatic smile she studied the speaker as she headed across the room to check out the view. She took in the surroundings then went to the shelves hoping to find information on Tython. She found a book; she could take it back to her room but decided it was more fun to study it here and make everyone feel uncomfortable. They had to start getting used to her presence at some point; regardless of what the Council decided, she planned to stick around.

She was reading about the fauna on the planet and planning her nighttime hunt when a young Cathar female virtually pounced on her. "Hi, you're the new student, the one who studied on Korriban, right?"

Kayla liked her instantly, no fear. She smiled and nodded. "I wouldn't say I'm a student, the Council is deliberating on that. I'm Kayla'Alda-sha." She extended her hand.

"Katzen Jaemer." The girl clasped Kayla's hand and plopped down beside her. "I'm a terrible Jedi," she admitted brazenly. The comment caused snickers around the room.

"Why do you say that?" Kayla asked.

Katzen shrugged. "I can't do anything right. If you survived Korriban, you must be really good at the Force. I understand that on Korriban, if you aren't good you die."

Kayla patted Katzen's knee and nodded. "That's true; but have faith in yourself. You're stronger than you think. I was a horrible student at first but I got better. I still make bad mistakes. Blew a hole in the Academy wall," she confided. "How long have you been here?"

"A Jedi found my brother and I working for a Hutt on Nar Shaddaa. That was about two years ago. There he is. Chas, over here. This is the new girl, the Sith."

"Kayla'Alda-sha," Kayla introduced herself to the Cathar male.

Chas' greeting was not quite as recklessly as his sister. "Chasnur Jaemer. Kat, you're supposed to be studying."

Katzen rolled her eyes long-sufferingly. "He acts like he's my big brother."

"You're only older by twelve and a half minutes," he reminded her with a toothy smile. He prodded his sister toward the shelves then leaned his practice sword against a chair and sat. "Heard the Council is trying to decide what to do about you. Master Praven heard too and has gone to speak on your behalf; he's Sith, like pureblood, red, spikey-skinned Sith."

"Yeah, scary as Hell when you first see him but he's an extremely honorable man and very knowledgeable." Katzen dropped onto the sofa again with a holocron, which she set into the a player on the table. "Some students don't like working with him 'cause he's real strict in addition to being kind'a scary."

"Are you afraid of him?" Kayla asked the two.

"I was at first but he really makes you think about what you're doing; he's all about keeping focused. Sometimes the other Masters get upset with him because he supports using passion as a source for the Force; he calls it passionate peace."

"Study!" Chas ordered his chatty sister. "He's been very good for her. Kat is easily distracted. She'd be one of the most powerful students if she kept her mind on things."

"Not at all like Chas; he's so single minded…"

"Study for Crissakes!"

"I don't want to study right now." Katzen threw herself against the back of the sofa and pouted. "I want to learn about my new friend."

Kayla laughed. "What do you want to know?"

"What was it like being on Korriban? Did you have to kill another student? I've heard they encourage that. What's it feel like using Dark Energy to power the Force?"

"Those are all very good questions and I'll do my best to answer them." Kayla proceeded to tell them about her training at the Sith Academy and included why she believes the Sith code is wrong.

The three were so engrossed in their discussion that they didn't see the towering, red-skinned, dower-faced Jedi master enter the room and head their way. Everyone else did and cleared Master Praven's way.

"Apprentice Alda-sha," the Jedi nearly barked her name.

Kayla looked up as the two Cather lept to their feet in respect. Kayla stood slowly taking in everything she could about the former Sith Lord, moderately powerful. "Master Praven I presume." She smiled maternally.

"The Council has decided that you will be trained under my supervision." He glared at Katzen, "Aren't you supposed to be studying the history of the Battle of Bothawui? I will quiz you in the morning. If you would come with me Apprentice Alda-sha."

Kayla followed him out of the community room, down the stairs, through the main atrium, and down another hall to his office. She noticed that there were some artifacts from his time as a Sith, including his old lightsaber, decorating the walls.

He indicated she have a seat then settled himself comfortably behind his desk. "I understand you finished your training on Korriban and defected to the Jedi after finding a lightsaber crystal. Who were your trainers?"

Kayla started with Overseer Ruhut and listed the various lords and overseers she worked with. She told him about the tasks she had to fulfill during her training. The whole time his face remained impassive; he didn't even nod in acknowledgement.

When she finished, he stood and rounded his desk as he called his old lightsaber off the wall. He tossed it at her.

Kayla's reaction to the lightsaber was to jump back and let it fall to the floor. She stared at it.

"Pick it up," he ordered.

"I will not," she barked. "It is an abomination among my people to meld the Force with technology." She used the Force to lift it onto his desk.

"You have a power crystal for a lightsaber. What did you intend to do with it? Hang it on a wall?"

"It is a crystal of pure Force. I would never ruin it by using it to power and tool," she countered hotly.

Praven studied her intently for a bit. "What you are thinking has not been accomplished in thousands of years. No one knows how."

"I know how," Kayla assured. "I don't need that abomination to defend myself against you are any other Force sensitive."

"Very well," he countered. He handed her a practice sword. "Is it anathema to channel the Force through this?"

"That I will do," she said taking the practice sword.

Praven drew his blue-bladed Jedi saber and took up a sparring stance.

Kayla immediately attacked. They had both worked up a sweat when he called a halt. "You are very well trained. You did not, however, call on the Force to help. Why did you hold back?"

She gave him a rueful smile, "I still tend to overdo it. I still need to do a lot of work on control. We have a saying among my species, 'go big or go home.' I'm still trying to accept that 'little' works very well in some situations."

He scowled not fully understanding what she meant. "Show me."

She shook her head. "No, absolutely not inside. I break things. I blew hole between Lord Samus' and Overseer Rance's offices."

"All the way?"

She nodded, "Knocked the holocrons off Overseer Rance's shelves; he whined about nearly being decapitated. The soldiers used to call me Darth Destruction."

He snorted a chuckle. "Very well you can show me what you're capable of tomorrow when we're outside. In the meantime, go down to the supply desk and requisition the material you need to make your weapon." He handed her a signed requisition form. "Normally a Jedi apprentice wouldn't receive her lightsaber until her training is done. As you have completed your training on Korriban and have a crystal, I want to start training you in channeling the Force through it. You have a good foundation and instincts. I know Lord Destron, well knew him." There was a tinge of sadness that he shrugged off. "Also, I want you to study the Jedi code tonight. We'll discuss that tomorrow. Dismissed."

"Yes, Lor… Master Praven," Kayla bowed her head and left. She found her way to the supply center and told the clerk behind the desk what she needed. The clerk gave her a confused look as he took the form and went to get the items she requested.

"None of what you ask for is used in a lightsaber," the clerk noted handing the items over.

"I'm not making a lightsaber. I'm going to embed the crystal."

She took the few items she needed and left. She found a meditation chamber and settled down to review what she had to do. In dragon form, the crystal would seem miniscule; in human form, it would seem over large. She knew how to place it so that it would look like a tiara in human form but in dragon form be set into her forehead just below her cranial horn. She first created a gold filigree setting which she fitted to her human head. To finish the process, she had to be in dragon form.

Her stomach growled so she headed outside; it was dark. She strolled around the building away from the guards at the front door; she was looking for an open yet private space where she could shape-shift and launch. To the east side of the Temple was the precipice over which the taxi had approached. No one was in the immediate area. She opened her arms and jumped off. She fell about 25 feet before her wings caught an updraft that lifted her above the ridge line. She headed north for an area near the coast that the book described as prime grazing lands.

After sating her hunger, she got comfortable for the process of inserting the crystal into her forehead. Her entire body began to glow with the Force she channeled. The crystal was singing loudly and she harmonized. She felt her body begin to vibrate with the sympathetic sound. She set the crystal tiara against her forehead and began pressing it into the scale.

It was the darkness before dawn when she alit next to the temple and reverted to the human form. She was happy, full, and ready to study the Jedi code.

"I want to see your…" Praven stopped in mid-sentence when he saw the crystal resting against her brow. "Have you tried using it?"

"No"

"Very well, come with me and we shall see what you can do." That was his signal to fall into step beside him.

The Jedi master led her to an isolated training area, the farthest from the temple and other trainees. As with all training pads, it was equipped with sparring droids.

As he activated several droids, he explained, "I want you to channel the Force through your crystal. Since you survived Korriban and indicated you know what you're doing, I doubt you will have trouble defeating five droids."

"Five, that's easy; this should be fun." She waited.

The droids attacked at the same time. The droids instantly lay in shorting-out smoldering piles at the same time.

"What the hell was that?" Praven asked picking himself up off the ground from where the Force blast had thrown him. He had used his own Force defenses to prevent being flung across the river into the rising cliff beyond.

"That is how I take care of five attackers at one time," she explained with a shrug. "That was fun. Let's do it again."

"FOCUS!" He roared then took a calming breath. "That was overkill. Overkill is the way of the Sith, not the Jedi. Use of excessive force does not lend itself to an honorable battle; it's… it's squashing bugs."

"Not colicoids from what I understand."

"We aren't talking about colicoids, we talking about tiny, little bugs scurrying about minding their own business in the ecological scheme of things." To prove his point, he gently lifted and ant in his hand to show her. He set the bug down and Force brushed debris off his robes and out of his hair.

"Master Praven," Master Braga's deep voice wafted across the still morning air. "May I inquire as to what you are trying to do here?"

"Yes, Master Braga, you may and as soon as my newest student provides an answer, I shall gladly share it with you." Praven glowered at Kayla. The expression was made all the more severe by his eye ridges.

"You're getting a little red in the face," Kayla quipped. "I'm sorry, Master Braga, I got a little over excited. I'll be more careful. Was anyone hurt? I know some healing tricks."

In his purposeful stride across the grass, Braga came up short and stared at Kayla. "Uh, no, no serious injuries; but there are several unsettled younglings." He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the droid activation pylon.

Praven Force cleared the area and activated a single, advanced-training droid with four arms. "Let's try this again. No cheating, use your crystal; channel the Force through it to ASSIST in your attacks and blocks."

"Assist, assist, assist," Kayla told herself as she waited for the droid to come on line. She could feel both Praven and Braga creating a Force shield around the training pad to protect the others in the event she threw out another oversized blast. "These are tiny things that break easily," she reminded herself.

This droid was armed with a blaster, a vibroblade, and double-bladed vibroblade.

"Take it alive," Praven ordered just before the droid opened fire with the blaster.

Kayla threw up her hands to block and deflect the blaster bolts. She wasn't aware that she was humming in harmony to the crystal but could feel the harmonics vibrating through her. She threw out a small blast of Force with the intent to disarm the blaster and tore off the droid's arm. It switched to the single-blade vibroblade. At the same time, she blocked the vibroblade attack; it hissed and crackled when she grabbed it, then it burst. The droid switched to the double-bladed vibroblade.

She became aware that her crystal sang a different tone when she was blocking, when she was attacking, and when she was at calming rest. The song was the crystal's connection to the Force. When she harmonized with the crystal's tone whatever action she was performing became stronger. She didn't defeat the droid as quickly as she could have; instead she worked on this new revelation.

"Enough," Praven called. "You've been at this for 30 minutes."

The droid shut down.

"Very interesting," Braga observed regarding Kayla. "You have a very interesting way of manipulating the Force."

"One does not manipulate the Force; one works with the Force. It is a partner, not a servant," Kayla chided the Master gently.

Braga smiled slightly. "You are most correct. She is your Padawan, Master Praven. I leave you two to your work." Braga strolled back toward the temple.

Kayla could feel pride emanating off Praven. The Jedi code might say there was no emotion only peace, but it was clear Praven didn't wholly subscribe to that.

"What does Padawan mean?" she asked.

"It means there is nothing more you can be taught by the trainers at this temple. Your work as a Jedi begins now." He stayed any questions with a raise of his hand. "We are not yet leaving for the greater galaxy. There are tasks to be done around Tython that are beyond the scope of any of the other students and the Jedi are too busy to take on."

"O-o-o goody," she grinned. "Like what?"

Praven grimaced. "Flesh raiders. Surely you've heard of them?"

"I think I saw them on my way in yesterday and I learned about them from a book I was studying."

"They have just enough sentience to be organized and dangerous. They have crude armor but have gotten ahold of blasters and vibroblades. This is the second time this has happened and you and I are going to find out how and/or who is behind it."

"Why not just plop me into the middle of their camp and let me wipe them out in one fell swoop?"

"Tempting," he smiled. "But extermination of a species isn't the Jedi way." He found a patch of grass and sat indicating she join him. "In the meantime, we will discuss the Jedi philosophy as opposed to the Sith philosophy."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

She and Master Praven led the Cathar siblings Chasnur and Katzen Jaemer along a winding mountain path that led to a village of Twi'lek colonists calling themselves Pilgrims.

The villagers had been plagued by attacks from the flesh raiders. Their proximity to the caves the flesh raiders inhabited seemed to put the Twi'leks in direct conflict with the hulking creatures.

"You two will do whatever is necessary to assist the villagers in augmenting their defenses," Praven explained to the twins. "Padawan Alda-sha and I will address the problem with the matron. Under no circumstances are you two to engage the flesh raiders. You might be strong with the Force but you lack experience."

"Yes, Master," the Cathars twins echoed.

At some locations along the path, there were wide swaths of open grass where uxibeasts grazed. As the group neared, the normally placid creatures bellowed and fled.

Praven was aware of that. It wasn't normal for uxibeasts to scatter like that. He regarded the group with him. It wasn't him, he had often walked among herds of uxibeasts without their reaction. He doubted it was the two Cathars; he had never observed uxibeasts reacting to that species despite their carnivorous nature. He looked intently at Kayla.

She felt his piercing gaze on her. "They make good eating," she told him and offered no further explanation.

They rounded an outcropping and were met by a brawny twi'lek male with a blaster rifle. "Halt," he ordered, his tone surly. "So, the Jedi have finally deigned to visit after all our calls for help were ignored. You're good at ignoring us until a situation affects you."

Praven pulled his hood off and fixed the Twi'lek with a piercing red gaze. "We come to speak with your Matron."

"Yes, Master; I am Scout Chief Moorint," the Twi'lek responded somewhat humbled by being glared down from the pureblood Sith, even if he did purport to be a Jedi. "Right this way." The Twi'lek left his two compatriots watching the path. "These attacks are more organized than the last time, and they're better armed," their escort grumbled as he led the group through the village to a large dome on the crest of a rise

The village was nestled in a small, high valley with three accesses; the one the group had just used, another on the far side of planted fields leading deeper into the mountain, and the most heavily guarded to the east. Periodic blaster fire came from that direction; it lead toward the flesh raider territory. The structures were standard republic prefabricated domes. There were several domes that were obviously workshops. These and a few kiosks selling home-made goods lined the main thoroughfare from a shuttle pad to the largest dome to which the guard was leading them.

They entered a room filled with desks occupied by busy Twi'leks. They paused in their work to see who entered but quickly returned to their work.

"Welcome to Kalikori village, Jedi," a young, green Twi'lek woman greeted them. "I am Matriarch Ranna Tao'ven."

Praven bowed his head. "I am Master Praven, this is my Padawan Kayla'Alda-sha, and two apprentices, Chasnur and Katzen Jaemer."

Everyone politely acknowledged one another though the antagonism oozed off Ranna and Moorint.

"I understand your frustration that the Jedi have not offered any help in the past, but those of us at the Temple have been overwhelmed with issues needing our attention. We recently learned the flesh raiders have again obtained and been using modern weaponry. This is a concern we cannot ignore. My Padawan and I will be venturing into the flesh raider territory to investigate." His comment drew gasps of concern from the Twi'leks. "I shall leave Chasnur and Katzen to help you fortify your defenses; they are both knowledgeable and skilled in the building of defenses. However, their fighting skills are not yet honed and I would ask that you not put them into such a position. If you are attacked while they are here, please send one to the temple for assistance."

Ranna looked at Moorint. "They should be of help to you. Take them to the barricade."

"Yes Matriarch." Moorint bowed and led the two Cathars out.

"Once past the first defense, the path to the left leads to one half of the Flesh Raider tribe. If you follow the path to the right up over the ridge, it leads to their main settlement." Ranna indicated a map on the wall. "The near settlement has about 25 warriors and their families. We estimate there are about 100 warriors and their families in the larger settlement. They only recently began attacking us."

"I can stealth my way through the main camp and meet you back here," Kayla suggested.

"You, stealth?" Praven asked dubiously.

Before their eyes, she nearly vanished using the Force to shroud her.

"Very well. I will reconnoiter the smaller settlement." Praven looked at her vague outline. "And no genocide, we are merely after information at this time."

"Yes, my… Yes, Master."

"Thank you, Matriarch," Praven said, again bowing his head. He followed after Kayla.

Kayla passed through the Twi'lek defenses without being seen and approached a flesh raider guard point. She knelt and studied the creatures. She had studied them in the printed material at the Temple and seen them on her hunting forays but had never been this close.

They were larger than she had expected and had a muscular build; their hands had three claw-like fingers; their feet were also clawed and unshorn; their eyes were at the end of stalks extending from the sides of their heads. Their clothing seemed little more than scraps of leather but their armor was obviously off-world make. One absent-mindedly spun a vibroblade. She couldn't see what weapons the other carried. They had no obvious olfactory organ. She eased carefully past them while observing their reactions. They didn't notice her at all.

Once past them, she decided they relied on their vision. She took the path to the right up a small hill and eased past a second guard post at its crest. The path then dipped down into a scattered collection of crude tents and rock and stick structures. Outside some of the structures were piles of bones. She identified Twi'lek, human, and flesh raider skulls in the piles.

There were other paths that led up the rocky inclines to caves. The structures were all occupied by adult males. Ranna's estimate was correct, there were about 100 flesh raiders visible. One good aerial pass could wipe out their fighting force and incapacitate the flesh raiders thus putting a stop to their attacks. However, that wouldn't account for those in the caves or answer the question who was providing them with off-world weaponry and why.

She noticed that one cave seemed to have the most traffic and headed in that direction. She slipped into the cave entrance and was assailed by a stench of feces and death. Torches lit the tunnel and the side caves had fires around which were gathered the females and offspring of the species. She noticed more piles bones of mixed species.

There were more warrior males in the cave and they seemed to come and go from a specific direction. She followed one group, which led her down a secondary tunnel. It dipped through an underground pool of water then rose to a dry platform on the far side.

She noticed a holoterminal on the platform. She waited on one side of the pond and watched. The group she had followed activated the terminal.

A shadow form appeared but it was obviously humanoid. She figured the lack of detail helped the speaker maintain an air of mystery and god-hood. The voice was male and he spoke common but seemed able to understand the grunts and gargles of the raiders' language.

"You have the gifts I have sent you, my loyal followers. Tell me of your progress." The request was followed by an unintelligible response from the flesh raiders. "Destroy the Twi'lek village and the Jedi will respond. They will come out of their temple to defend the fools." More grunts. "No not yet, save that for the Temple itself. Now go, do not contact me until your task is complete." The figure vanished and the group of flesh raiders seemed to discuss what they had been told.

Kayla immediately headed back for Kalikori Village. When she slipped past the two barricades, she saw that Chasnur and Katzen had been hard at work improving the Twi'lek defenses. They had helped increase the height and density and length of the barricades, which included automated gun turrets. The barricade connected with the cliff faces. The village side had a cat walk that allowed the defenders to fire down on any attackers.

She unshrouded herself and waved to the two Cathars and gave them a thumbs up for good work. She broke into a jog for the Matriarch's building.

Praven wasn't back yet so she wandered about studying what was going on at the various stations – crop report, medical services, supply inventory, equipment maintenance – all the mundane aspects of running a village.

Praven came in, his robes were torn and filthy and he had a cut over his right beard spike. Kayla was very aware that she bore no evidence of any fighting. "You look like you took the shit end of a fight."

Praven grimaced. "What did you learn, Padawan?" He pressed a cloth to the cut to stem the blood flow.

"Oh, do stop calling me that. It sounds like I'm younger than you," she complained.

"You are younger than me," he retorted.

"No I'm not, trust me on this; I am MUCH older than anyone on this planet. I know infants older than you."

Praven decided to pursue that subject at a later date. "Well, they are in contact with an off-worlder who supplied them with armor, blasters, vibroswords, and something else. He mentioned an attack on this village to draw the Jedi out of the Temple. The flesh raiders were not to use some weapon except for an attack on the Temple. I couldn't understand what the Flesh Raiders were saying."

Praven harrumphed. "Need to teach you how to use the Force as a translator. I did find a cache of shoulder cannons and mortars; that might be the something else." He raised his hand as an indicator to wait and performed a self-healing. He looked markedly better afterwards. "Well done, Pa… Kayla, and you did it without destroying the Flesh Raiders."

"I noticed other things as well. They're not only carnivorous but cannibalize their own. I saw the gnawed remains of Twi'leks and humans and some others that I couldn't identify. I believe they are far more intelligent than they have been given credit."

"Intelligent, they eat Twi'leks," Ranna blurted with disgust.

"Just because they are carnivorous does not mean they are unintelligent," Kayla countered in a soothing tone.

"Kayla is correct," Praven added.

"I saw the work Chas and Kat have been doing on the defenses; that will help these people a lot."

"You will return to the Temple and report what you and I have learned to the Council. I will remain here and help finish those defensive lines." Praven indicated Kayla hurry out.

She paused. "I still say that I could stop this whole hoopla in one blow. That might force their benefactor into the open. I think I recognized his voice but I would have to hear it again to be sure. You might know it as well." She hurried out and jogged out of the village. Once around the bend and out of sight, she shifted into a small drake and quickly covered the distance to the bottom of Tython Ridge. She shifted again and ran for the Temple.

The Jedi Council carefully listened to what she and Praven had learned.

"Uh, I think I should tell you all something." She noted she had their undivided attention. "I've told you I'm not human. I think I should show you my true form. It might come in very handy and I don't want any adverse reactions." She shimmered and expanded to her natural form.

The four Jedi masters stepped back against the wall and looked up at the golden-winged creature that filled the chamber.

"I am a winged, fire-breathing dragon. Not a krayte dragon, a mere twisted and poor copy. I am _Draco Alis_." She sat on her haunches and tilted her head to allow her to look down on the small figures sharing the room.

"Well, that explains a lot," Tol Braga finally said gathering himself and moving back into his chair.

Satele Shan began circling Kayla studying her carefully. "Why do you tell us this now?" she finally asked returning to her chair.

"Because dis might be extremely help-ul when de Raiders decide to attack. In dis shape I can trabel quickly." She shimmered and changed back to human. "It's really hard to say some letters when your teeth are made to rend dragon scales. Tends to tear up my lips and tongue."

"Does Master Praven know this?" Kiwiiks asked.

She shook her head. "I haven't shown him, but he realizes I'm not what I appear. He's no fool."

"Are you implying we are fools?" Master Bakarn asked defensively. He was attending via holo.

"I spent a lot of time in the presence of Lord Destron and Overseer Ruhut; neither of them recognized me as anything other than human until I showed them," she explained. "I will show Master Praven, be assured of that. Another reason I showed you is because I am a carnivore, I need fresh meat to survive. I go out hunting every other night. At some point, someone in the Temple would see me. I prefer everyone be aware of that before they start shooting or stabbing." She indicated the door. "May I go now?"

Shan dismissed Kayla. She was half-way down the stairs when Braga caught up with her. "I want you to wait at the taxi stand for Master Praven and show him what you showed us. I'll continue whatever work he is doing in Kalikori Village."

Praven didn't look too happy when he climbed off the taxi from the village. "Master Braga said I had to come back here because you had something very important to show me."

She nodded and led him well away from any objects she might break and then shape-shifted. She dropped her head to look him in the eyes. "Dis is me, de real me."

The first thing he noticed was the crystal now embedded into a forehead scale. He started laughing. She returned his laughter, with a guttural 'hu hu hu'. A laughing pureblood Sith and dragon caused some of the student to drop what they were doing and bolt for the safety of the Temple.

She finally lowered her shoulder and suggested he hop on. "Time to make an aerial reconnaissance?"

"Can you shroud yourself in this form as you did earlier?"

"Yep. Get on and hold on."

She took him aloft then flew in low over Flesh Raider territory. The Flesh Raiders looked up at the rush of wind but saw nothing. In the meantime, Praven was making a holorecording of everything.

She swung back looping around the village and coming in from the northeast; she landed at the taxi stand. Praven lept down from his place between her shoulder ridge spikes and nonchalantly headed for the stunned crew working on the defenses. Kayla gave herself one last good shake then shifted into human form.

"That was amazing!" Katzen crowed as Kayla approached the wall. "Master Braga told us about what you did in the council chambers. Awesome!"

Chasnur leaned against a strut and shook his head. "You are full of surprises, Kayla. Did your Sith friends know this about you."

"Yeah," Kayla admitted then signaled they join her with Praven and Braga.

Praven waited until the Kayla and the two Cathars joined him and Braga. "This is the recording I made." A couple of times he stopped the recording and zoomed in on items of interest. "You can see here that they are starting to bring their 'secret' weapons out for use." He pointed at an item two Flesh Raiders were carrying away from one of the cave.

"One of those could put a hole in these walls," Chasnur noted then looked up at all his hard work. "Is it possible to Force reinforce these?"

"Yes," Kayla answered before the two Master Jedi. The three put their hands against the masonry and infused it with the Force.

"Kayla, have the Flesh Raiders seen your dragon form?" Praven asked.

"Not that I know of. When I go hunting, it's at night and I follow the gorge north of the Temple and hunt in the low lands along the coast."

"What are you thinking, Praven?" Braga asked.

"If the Flesh Raiders see Kayla in her dragon form, they will tell their contact. No more changing, please."

"I have to eat and the dining room food is inadequate."

"Very well, but be very careful." Praven pushed away from the palisade. "Speaking of dinner, we should return to the Temple."

They bid the Matriarch good bye after instructing her to send a messenger should the Raiders attack.

The call came in the wee hours of the morning. Kayla had just returned from hunting and was approaching the entrance when she heard the taxi. The guards reacted by taking up defensive positions around the Temple. Kayla ran to the taxi stand.

Even before the Twi'lek messenger could speak, Kayla heard the distant pop of weapons fire. She ran back toward the Temple. "Kalikori Village is being attacked, sound the alarm," she called to the guards.

In moments, Jedi were coming out of the Temple. She saw Praven signal to her and she waited. "Kayla, go to the Kalikori Village and give those Flesh Raiders a warm welcome. We will stay to defend the Temple."

"Okay." She shifted and lept into the air making straight for the village.

As she approached, she could see fires burning around the barricades and could hear the war screams of the Flesh Raiders. The Twi'leks were seriously outnumbered but their defenses were holding. She swooped in low, took a deep breath, squeezed the two sacks in the back of her throat and unleashed a wave of searing fire as she swept over the attacking Flesh Raiders. She banked up ready for another pass and roared. It was a sound that echoed through the mountains and rolled across the Temple grounds.

Her crystal was vibrating for an attack. The next pass, she unleased a wave of Force that levelled everything in its path. In the Flesh Raider territory, structures blew away like leaves in a hurricane and mountains crumbled collapsing some of the caves.

Satisfied there would be no more attack on the Twi'lek's, she turned back for the Temple. As she had heard, the attack on Kalikori Village was supposed to have been a diversion. An even larger contingent of Flesh Raiders were attacking the Temple, but they had been surprised to find it well defended.

She came in low behind the Flesh Raiders and with opened rear talons, raked up a dozen, rose up, and dropped them to their deaths on their comrades. She did it again and again. She didn't stop her assault until the Flesh Raiders were all fleeing back to their settlement.

She alit in front of the Jedi Council and stood towering over them. She swung her serpentine neck and roared a challenge at the retreating Flesh Raider army. She lowered her head to be at eye level with the Masters. "Now what?"

Praven reached up and patted her jowls laughing. "I think we can rest in peace for a while. Hopefully, that will draw out their benefactor."

"Well, I'm going back out hunting; I've worked up an appetite." Without waiting to be excused, Kayla launched off and headed back to her favorite hunting grounds.

When she returned, the sun was high and the grounds had been cleared of all sign of battle. She landed beside the temple, shifted her shape, and went to Praven's office.

"In my opinion, you did well, though the other masters feel you used more force than necessary. You hardly need the Force."

"You'd be surprised how often we use it." She picked up a fruit in a bowl on his desk and bit into it. "This is good. Counteracts the salty fish."

"We've heard from Matriarch Ranna about the attack on the village and your handling of the affair. Short and to the point. I personally don't like to draw out a battle when there is a shorter and decisive way to end it."

"That is Imperial thinking," she pointed out with a smile. "I tend to agree with you. What is it the Masters are upset about?"

"They feel you let your anger get the better of you." He leaned back and studied her over peeked fingers.

"They haven't seen me angry; they do not want to see me angry." She scowled. "I don't think they actually know what anger is."

"With your natural gifts, why are you here?" He indicated the Temple.

"You saw what happens when I don't control the Force. My species is attuned to the Force but we don't control it the way you bi-pedals do. There is so much we could do if we learn to use the Force for minute work."

"What can your people teach us about the Force?" He asked.

"How to level cities; lay waste to whole armies; wipe a star destroyer from existence in an instant. Healing."

"Healing?" He leaned forward. "That seems incongruous to your destructive capabilities."

"A phalanx of dragons attack; some are wounded. We need to be healed just like anyone else. We might live a very long time, but we are not immortal."

"How long do you live?"

"I am 4,157 standard years old, a young adult." She saw he wanted to ask so she gave him the answer. "The Blue is the eldest among us, he is over 13,000 years old. So, do you think this mysterious leader of the Flesh Raiders will come to Tython?"

"Personally, I am hoping he does. He has some deaths to account for." He noticed a light blinking on his comm unit. "Master Praven here, my Padawan and I shall be there momentarily Master Shan." He stood. "The Council awaits."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Kayla stood patiently and let the Jedi Council talk at her about not allowing anger to control her. Each had his or her say then asked what she had to say. Praven was present but had not yet spoken.

"I wasn't angry. Why do you think I was angry? I was given a job to do and I did it; that job was to stop the attack on Kalikori Village."

Her explanation didn't seem to placate the Council. "You must not deny your anger, you must eliminate it."

Kayla took a deep breath and repeated. "I was not angry. You have not seen me angry nor do you want to." She paused. "Allow me to show what an angry dragon is capable of."

Suddenly, the mind of each council member was filled with a memory. The memory was full of vengeance, rage, and grief. Each Jedi saw through a dragon's eyes as the creature, part of a massive airborne phalanx, dove from the clouds over a lush world of forests and fields under the blazing light of twin suns. The dragons unleashed gouts of fire and Force explosions leveling everything and searing the ground killing any unprotected living thing. The memory told them this was happening all across this world. The relentless attack continued until almost nothing remained alive.

"That was our original home world, the planet you call Tatooine over 28,000 years ago," Kayla said releasing the masters from the horrific memory. "The Rakatan's, the Infinite Empire, had captured our whelps and nursing mothers and aged elders; they warped and twisted them wrenching the Force from them to power their technology. The survivors of that torture became what you now call Krayte dragons." She let her sadness sweep over her; she owned it, accepted it as part of her and her species. "The Council of Elders decided after that devastation that we needed to remove ourselves from the presence of the Infinite Empire or the galaxy would not survive. We found a distant new world, Sanctuary, where we have lived in peace and solitude since. Now do you understand a dragon's anger? Now do you understand why I am here to learn about the Empire and the Republic? We do not want to find ourselves facing another Infinite Empire."

There was silence around the table as each Jedi master absorbed what they had just experienced.

"You could not possibly remember that," Braga challenged.

"In this life, I am 4,157 years old. In that life at that time, I was 2,914 years old when we wreaked that destruction on our own world. We are all linked to our past through a collective racial memory. We all 'remember' that and the precipitating events."

"The Krayte dragons of Tatooine are supposed to be descended from Duinougwuin, Star Dragons," Braga again challenged. "They are only legends."

"That's what we were called then, we had space travel; but we exist, and the Krayte dragons were created from our sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, mates and friends who fell victim to the Rakatans."

"You don't look like pictures I've seen of Duinougwuin," Par pointed out.

"Over 28,000 years, humanoid memories become altered. Maybe this time, we can work together and not turn some world into a burning cinder."

"All the more reason you must learn to control your anger," Braga suggested.

She looked earnestly at each. "If I had been angry this morning, I would have left no Flesh Raider alive, none; and their territory would have been rendered uninhabitable. Trust me, it takes a lot to make a dragon angry; but once angry, a dragon is death and devestation. You might see me peeved or irked, but pray you never see me angry."

"I question the wisdom of further training for Kayla'Alda-sha," Bakarn stated. Even though he was attending via holoterminal, he had shared the horrific memory.

"Master Praven, is Padawan Alda-sha a loose cannon?" A council member, a chiss woman, Kayla had not yet met asked. She was referred to only as the Barsen'Thor and was also attending via holoterminal from Voss.

"Kaylal'Alda-sha is a good and conscientious student. She does nothing without my knowledge or permission. The more she knows about us and the more we know about her people can only be a benefit to both." He paused in thought. "I fear what the Empire could or would do with the power she and her people yield. I fear what we could do with that power. We must know enough not to offend the dragons and bring about their wrath."

Shan leaned on the table folding her hands in thought. "I foresee danger in any way we proceed. Master Praven, your concerns are valid." She looked at everyone individually. "I also worry about someone learning about the full capability of Padawan Alda-sha…"

"Stop calling me Padawan like I'm one of your younglings," Kayla barked irritated. "I am thousands of years older than everyone here. My cousin's newborn whelp is older than anyone here. I am Kayla'Alda-sha."

The group stared somewhat taken aback and a little afraid.

Shan broke the silence. "Very well, Kayla. If some people learn of you and your people's full capability, they might decide to create weapons with the intent of overpowering you." She fixed her gaze on Kayla. "I believe you should continue your training for your own defense."

Kayla bowed her head. "I realize our coming out of hiding set in motion events that we can't turn back from." Her tone was calm and soothing. "For that I am sorry and I shall inform the Council of Elders that it was a mistake my coming among the bi-pedals."

"Our expansion into formerly unexplored areas of the galaxy precipitated your emergence," the Barsen'Thor stated.

Shan sighed. "Master Praven, Kayla, return to your training. We must meditate on this. Please do not further provoke the Flesh Raiders."

It had been a week since the battle and she was working with Katzen. They all felt the shift in the Force at the same time and stopped. Kayla looked over at Praven, who was working with Chasnur.

"I think our mysterious leader has arrived on Tython. You three keep working; I must speak with the Jedi Council." Praven left Kayla with the Cathar siblings.

"Come on, he said keep working. You both attack me." Kayla got the other two focused back on their training. They didn't see Praven again until after dinner.

"What is it Master Praven," Katzen asked seeing that he seemed distracted. The three fell into step around him.

"Everyone felt that shift, but not everyone agrees with my assessment as to its cause." He seemed to be walking aimlessly across the Temple grounds.

"What else might it be?" Kayla asked.

"Almost anything," he admitted. "It could mean something as simple as the death of a powerful Force user. It could mean something as frightening as the return of the Emperor."

"It isn't the death of a powerful Force user; Grandma Blashe would have told me. I'd like to admit something. I would never have noticed that before my training," Kayla told him. "I might have felt it but ignored it as just a mood swing."

Praven stopped and looked about then spoke softly. "Kayla, tonight, will you sneak into the cave and try to learn what's going on?"

"Easy-peasy," she quipped and shrouded herself in the Force.

None of the remaining three could hear her footsteps.

"Kayla sure has a voracious appetite," Chasnur announced and headed back toward the Temple. It seemed _apropos_ of nothing but was his way of explaining her absence.

The Flesh Raider population was much reduced since the battle. Despite their efforts to increase territory security, she easily slipped past their defenses and headed for the cave she needed.

When she reached the pond, the cavern was empty. She found a rock out of the way and sat and waited. She had been there several hours when she heard the scrape of two Flesh Raiders claws on stone and booted feet.

"What you tell me is nonsense," a human male voice growled.

"See flything; flything go, go fire; fleshthings die," one of the Flesh Raiders gargled.

The group paused at the edge of the pond. She could see that the human was a Force user but not particularly strong.

"How can one flying creature kill over 100 armored men in two passes? Nonsense I say," the human snarled and stepped into the water. The group waded across the pond and stopped around the holoterminal. "We gave you gifts of power to perform a simple task." He spun and activated the holoterminal. "Master, I am here. The area is safe."

"Good my apprentice. I am leaving immediately and will come in under cover of the night."

Kayla followed the three out. They climbed to a small plateau above the Flesh Raider caves. Kayla stood well back among the rocks. After a few minutes, she heard the whine of a shuttle engine approaching from due south. An Imperial shuttle settled and folded its wings.

When the hatch opened and the ramp extended, the human dropped to a knee and bowed his head. "My Lord."

"Walk with me, my apprentice." The powerful Sith Lord said as he emerged from the shuttle. He led the small group away from the shuttle and it lifted away. "Tell me what went wrong."

The apprentice explained what the Flesh Raiders had told him. "If there was such a creature, it would show up on scanners, would it not?"

His master met the question with silence. The sun was starting to rise in the east and the predawn grey was spreading across the mountains. Flesh Raiders were starting to stir below going about their normal business of life. Birds began flitting through the air looking for their morning meals. Somewhere in the distance a manka cat roared, calling for a mate.

"I have heard of such a creature; it is able to shapeshift, if I recall the report correctly." The Lord said. "They found it among acolytes on Korriban."

"A Force sensitive?" the apprentice asked in amazement.

"It is a creature, sentient to a degree yes, but a creature not unlike these brutes nonetheless," the Lord responded angrily.

"What happened to it?" his apprentice asked.

"It disappeared; probably killed."

"Might it have made its way here?" his apprentice suggested cautiously.

"You attribute reason and foresight to an ignorant beast."

To Kayla it was obvious his apprentice wasn't wholly convinced. He might not be as strong in the Force as his master, but he was in possession of more analytical reasoning.

"Show me the situation," the Lord demanded and turned toward the path leading down the mountain.

This brought them close to her hiding space. Kayla became a statue shrouding herself even more from detection. The Lord stopped parallel to her and looked around.

"Do you feel that?" he asked.

"Feel what, my lord?"

"The Force is strong right here." The Sith began walking in circles. At last he shook his head. "Perhaps the source is in the caves below." He led the group down the mountain.

Kayla waited until they were out of sight then headed back to the Temple. She didn't release the shroud until well within the compound. She broke into a run and headed for Praven's office.

"Master Shan was looking for you this morning. I told her you had gone hunting," he told her the moment she entered.

Kayla grinned. "I was hunting, for information and I found it." She reported all that she had seen and heard and observed.

"Strong, but not too bright, that sounds like Darth Bilius. I met him once; very ambitious and ruthless. However, as you indicated, not the sharpest of minds; he's probably depending on his apprentice."

"His voice sounds familiar to me but I can't place from where," she told him.

Praven thought a moment. "He spends a lot of his time on Korriban; Go to one of the meditation rooms and meditate on that. If anyone asks, I will tell them you are reflecting upon recent behavior."

"Okey-dokey." She smiled and sauntered off to do as told.

The meditation rooms were in the back of the Temple behind the main atrium. When she closed the door, all external distractions were shut out. She sat on a stool in the middle of the room. The circular dome shape was designed to reflect the Force back on the one meditating thus amplifying the effect.

Kayla reviewed every step of her journey from Nar Shaddaa, to Corellia, Korriban, Ilum, and Tython with all stops in between. At last she returned to Praven. "I believe I saw him among the Dark Council members on Korriban. I heard his voice on Vaiken Spaceport when we changed to the transport to Ilum. I didn't see him, just heard him speaking in another room. He was telling someone to get the shipment on board and ensure it was delivered without the Jedi's notice."

"So we have a timeframe; that was probably the smuggler he hired to deliver the weapons to the Flesh Raiders." Praven rocked back in his chair. "So what does he want? If he destroys the Jedi Temple, doing that will bring him the respect of the Dark Council." He glanced over at Kayla. "Last I heard, there is actually a vacancy on the Dark Council that perhaps he wants to fill."

"But if the Empire were to attack Tython, that would be in violation of the peace treaty," she pointed. "The Flesh Raiders could attack and not draw attention to the Sith."

"Exactly." Praven smiled and threw himself to his feet. "Back to training."

Out on the training grounds, they noticed three of the Jedi Council staring southward toward the Flesh Raider territory.

Praven wandered innocently over to the group. "Do you feel it too? That Force shift has moved closer."

Tol Braga scowled at him. "Smugness is unbecoming a Jedi, Master Praven."

Praven looked hurt and looked to Kayla for confirmation that he wasn't being smug. She shrugged.

"I know you sent your Pad…, Kayla, into the Flesh Raider territory against our express wishes," Satele Shan chastised. "So Kayla, what did you learn?"

Kayla shared everything she had told Praven including the result of her meditation.

"So this Sith Lord doesn't believe that Kayla is a powerful, intelligent, Force sensitive," Braga noted. "That will work to our advantage."

Shan nodded in agreement. "Come, we have a battle plan to prepare. Kayla, do not go hunting. If this Darth catches further wind of your existence, it could prove ill. If you must have fresh meat, send someone else, like those two Cathars you are friends with."

"Yes, Master Shan," Kayla acknowledged. Almost unconsciously, she pulled in the Force surrounding her. She glanced one last time south then followed Praven to a training pad.

"Today, don't use the Force, just practice fighting technique." He activated one of the droids.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

When her fight training was over, Kayla asked permission to meditate. She had found Force meditation was one of the easiest aspects to master. That was probably due to the dragons' use of it to communicate with each other over great distances.

Praven suggested she use his private meditation chamber where she was least likely to be disturbed.

She sat comfortably in the center of the room and relaxed into her consciousness. She then sent that out in search of Darth Bilius. She touched his mind while he was in conference with his apprentice.

She saw his plan: weaken the Jedi through Flesh Raider attacks expending that resource to its end; then he would call in Imperial troops to take the Temple and claim the ruins of Kaleth for the Empire. His motivation was first to ingratiate himself to the Dark Council so that when he took down his master, he would be welcomed to take her seat. The second was there was something in Kaleth that he wanted, though he wasn't specific in his thoughts about that.

Kayla was acutely aware that the plan was not Bilius' but that of his apprentice. Bilius had the Force strength to pull off this coup but not the intelligence. His apprentice had the intelligence to plan the maneuver but not the Force strength. It was a perfect, symbiotic relationship.

Kayla shifted and touched the apprentice and saw his plan to usurp his master and his master's master with himself rising to the Dark Council. She also saw what in Kaleth he was after.

Startled, she unfolded her legs and stood. When she turned, Praven was watching her from the doorway.

"What did you learn?" He stepped fully into the room. "I was aware that you wandered, as it were."

"The attack on Kalikori Village and the Temple were just the start. Bilius wants to destroy the Jedi on Tython and claim Kaleth. There is something there his apprentice wants. What is the significance of Kaleth?"

"Kaleth is where the first Force sensitives learned mastery of the Force. It is also where half followed the light path and half followed the dark path. It was the birthplace of the Sith, you might say." He stroked his chin. "Taking Kaleth would be a boon to the Sith. You said there's something his apprentice wants there. What is it."

Kayla ignored the question; it was too disturbing to contemplate. "We should tell the Jedi Council." Kayla doubted they would take the news well if accept it at all. There seemed to be this prejudice that students and Padawans couldn't do certain things with the Force.

"Let me talk to them. Don't mention what you've learned to any students." Praven patted her shoulder and started to leave. He paused, "Oh, and please don't eaves drop; stay out of our heads."

She chuckled and agreed not to be too nosy. She headed for the cantina to relax. She was nursing a drink when Chasnur and Katzen found her.

"Do you know what the Council is about? All the Masters are attending." Katzen took the seat right next to Kayla.

"I don't think it's a good time to discuss it; Master Praven suggested waiting until after the conference. So how was your day?" Kayla deflected the subject.

"Heard you aren't allowed to go hunting and that Master Shan suggested we hunt for you," Chasnur said slipping into a seat across from Kayla.

"I don't think it'll work." Katzen added.

Kayla smiled at the two. "I'll handle it myself, I'll just use a more common form like a greater horranth or something."

"So what's troubling you?" Chasnur wouldn't be so easily deflected.

"I was told not to discuss it and I won't," Kayla announced putting a little Force behind her statement.

Chasnur and Katzen reacted to the power and fell silent.

"It's not good," Katzen finally suggested.

"No, it's not," Kayla admitted.

"Aw, hell, let's just relax." Chasnur switched on the table's hologame and encouraged the other two to join him.

They had been in the cantina a couple of hours, playing games and dancing and drinking, when Master Praven walked in and joined them. It was obvious he was not in a good mood. It was rather unnerving for the siblings to be in the presence of an unhappy, pureblood Sith even if he was a Jedi. His already dower face was made more so by his eye ridges being knitted together and the set of his spiked jaw.

"I take it the Council didn't like what you had to tell them." Kayla was unaffected by his red skin being a wee-bit more red than usual.

"They don't believe you; they think you're too inexperienced to be able to meditate so accurately."

"Learn what?" Chasnur asked.

"May I?" Kayla sought permission first. When Praven nodded reluctantly, she told the two about what she had learned during her meditation. Between keeping her voice low and the music and chatter of the cantina, no one overheard the conversation.

"You will tell no one," Praven warned.

"Yes, master," the two agreed.

"So what are we going to do about it?" Katzen asked.

"You are going to do nothing," Praven informed the two Cathars.

"But for me the question still stands," Kayla announced. "I cannot in all consciousness allow this attack to take place and thus Kaleth falling into Sith hands. Also, I don't want to see the students hurt. If it were just the Masters, I'd let them have it their way. Darth Bilius and his apprentice must be stopped before this goes any further."

"I agree. I must meditate on this." He stood then studied Kayla. "Going against the Jedi Council could get the two of us in a lot of trouble. We could be expelled from The Order."

Kayla shrugged. "It makes no-never-mind to me. I would just go home as I'm planning to anyway. I'm more worried about what you would do. You can't go back to the Empire, you're labeled a traitor."

Praven gave her a cocky smile. "Maybe I'd retire to some place pleasant and become a farmer."

The four laughed releasing the tension the discussion had created.

"I should like to investigate Kaleth," Kayla told him.

Praven thought a moment then nodded. "Tell them I want you to find a ancient datacron my research says is in the area. Just stay out of trouble. You two will stay here and practice."

Kayla set off along the Elarian Trail, which lead up into the hills where the ruins of the ancient of temples sat. She wanted to get a feel for Kaleth and ascertain the best way to keep it out of the hands for Darth Bilius.

The trail wound up into the hills southwest of the temple. Uxibeast scampered away from her as she approached and horranth watched her suspiciously. She caught the scent of Flesh Raiders also watching the path from behind rocks and brush. She enjoyed the cool air of the Tythonian mountains and the solitude of the trail. Most of the students and Jedi preferred to use the taxi rather than make the long arduous walk along the dusty trail.

After about an hour of walking, the path leveled out and up ahead she saw ancient stone stairs leading off the left side of the path. The stairs led to the remnants of an ancient stone building; all that was left was the floor and some pillars. The taxi stand, a med kiosk and the tents of resident Jedi occupied the floor.

All but one Jedi were busy, so she approached him. "Master, may I ask you something?"

He smiled at her greeting, it was a relieved smile as if no one spoke to him. "I have heard of you; you are Master Praven's student, Kayla." He bowed his head with his hand on his heart. "I am Do Jonn and I would gladly speak with you."

His Force power was middle range; his eyes intelligent and warm. She liked him and sensed him to be a man of honesty. "You have heard of the situation with the Flesh Raiders, no?"

He frowned and nodded. "Yes, I could see the attack on the temple grounds from here."

"Well, it's my firm belief that the mastermind of that attack wants to seize the Ruins of Kaleth. What might you tell me about these ruins? Why would they be of interest to a Sith, besides being the birthplace of dark Force users."

"Dark Force power is strong here." Do Jonn looked west toward the ruins of the former city. "That is why we train here. Certainly you have felt it."

She nodded even as her skin prickled and her crystal vibrated soothingly.

"There was an ancient machine higher up in a cave on the west side of the city. Several years back, I asked a student headed that way to turn it on. He returned with the teachings of Maravada. He reported that upon imparting that data the machine shut down. Maravada was a man of peace and poetry. He didn't tell me what the teachings that were lost were about." He sighed and regarded Kayla. "The teachings of Maravada have been invaluable, not only in the wisdom he imparts but also in the history of the Jedi."

"What if the lost teachings are of the dark side of the Force?" Kayla asked.

"The machine is now inactive," Do Jonn told her.

"But if someone knows about what is up there and figures out how to turn the machine back on…" Kayla rubbed her jaw thoughtfully. "We have a conundrum, Master Jonn; and I feel the urge to resolve it. Higher up and due west you say?"

"Yes. Be well. Even one so powerful as yourself does not know all the secrets of the universe. Also, be mindful of the ancient defense droids, they are still on line."

She smiled at him and bowed her head. "I shall be most careful. Thank you for your time." She turned and left. She had heard of Do Jonn; he was here atoning for some perceived failure in the Jedi teaching. She hadn't sensed any darkness in him.

She headed for the remnants of the gate leading into the once fortified city. Several combat droids stood seemingly inactive at the entrance. As she approached, they came to life and began raising their weapons. Her crystal's vibration changed to attack mode; she waved her hand at the robots, and they flew back shattering against what was left of the city walls.

Up and west, Do Jonn had said. She walked through the remnants of a market area with a central fountain, now dried and the statue a pile of rubble. She was on an old road, paved with stone. It led her to the remnants of an inner wall and stairs.

The stairs took her into Upper Kaleth. Whatever building had stood here was now subdued by nature. She could see the moguls and ditches of the building's rubble, now covered with grass and grazing uxibeasts.

She tried sending out a soothing wave of calm; but the dumb beasts were far more sensitive to the presence of an apex predator than any sentient lifeform. They fled.

At last she met the mountain wall; but there was a recent, faint path leading north. This led her to a cave. Several young Jedi and Padawans were gathered uncertainly at the entrance. She excused herself parting the crowd and entered the gaping maw that was the entrance to the cave.

Emboldened by her, several other followed but didn't follow her into the darkness. Once past the influence of the exterior daylight, she paused to adjust her eyes to infra-red.

There was one tunnel leading downward and the place was devoid of life. She set off along the tunnel not sure what she was looking for. She walked for about fifteen minutes when the tunnel opened into a subterranean cavern. To her left, she could discern an unnatural shape against the cavern wall. She sniffed the air, metal.

She approached what quickly became apparent to be an inactive and very old computer, though not as old as the Ruins of Kaleth themselves.

She conjured a Force light and studied the computer. She opened it up and found the burnt-out power source. Though the wiring and components were old, they seemed to be undamaged. She smiled when she saw it, the mother board. With great care, she removed the relic and searched for other repositories of data. Finding none, she extinguished the light and backed away from the computer.

She sent out a ball of Force that struck the old computer shattering it into bits. She spun and left working out how to build a computer back at the temple; one that could run the mother board and access its historic information. If this was what Darth Bilius was looking for, it was now in her hands. If it was not, perhaps she could find out what specifically he sought.

She walked back to the temple and headed straight for Praven's office. She held up the mother board. "Lookie what followed me home. Can I keep it?"

Praven scowled. "What's that?"

"This my dear Master Praven is the mother board to a very old computer. The repository for all its memory. Even if a file was deleted, it still exists here; unless the system was wiped. According to what Do Jonn told me, it was not wiped before the power gave out."

"And what do you expect to find on that and how do you expect to find it?" he asked folding his hands and leaning on his desk.

"I have to build a computer. I need a signed requisition form." She grinned at him expectantly.

He sighed, pulled out a form and signed it and handed it to her.

"Ta." She spun and sashayed out.

Praven chuckled and shook his head at her departure.

The supply clerk commented on the odd objects she requisitioned but provided what she needed. He then directed her to the electronics repair shop housed in the basement of the temple.

She found the tools she would need, laid out all the parts and searched her memory: the computer in the cave and computers from the dawn of technology.

The master of the shop watched her as she began picking up parts and soldering them together. He jerked his chin at a Padawan to make himself available for her use and went back to his work.

She worked nearly non-stop for several days. The twins showed up to help her for a while and brought her food and drink. Praven came down to check on her progress. Each of the Jedi Council as well stopped by to observe her work.

Finally, she stood and stepped back to study her creation.

"That's a computer?" the shop master asked scratching his bald spot.

"Yep." She stretched her back.

"Will it work?" the man asked.

"Let's find out." She took the power cord and hooked it to a source.

"It's so small."

"It doesn't have all the bells and whistles," she told him. "It's a very basic computer."

"It's not doing anything." He noted.

She leaned over and pushed a button. "Now it's turned on."

It seemed ages to the older man before there was a blip noise and a light appeared on the screen. Suddenly the motor in the machine grumbled and letters and numbers flashed and scrolled.

In the meantime, Praven had arrived and joined the group gathered around the computer. He studied the screen over Kayla's shoulder.

"How do you tell it what to search for?" He asked when the screen turned blue. There was no voice prompter.

Kayla poked at the keyboard, one normally used for locking mechanisms. "command:/run files." Appeared in type at the bottom of the screen.

The system came to life and soon a list of files appeared.

"That's no language used today," the shop master noted.

Praven used the force to translate the strange alphabet. "These are operating files titled the Gate Keeper. But these three are data files." He tapped the screen. "This is a file created by Maravada. This file was created by Avamarivash. This last file was created by…" Praven's eyes widened and he straightened. "Rajivari himself. Don't touch anything." He spun and hurried out of the shop.

When Praven returned, Shan and Yuan Par were with him.

"Master Praven has said you found data from Rajivari!" Par was not bothering to mask her excitement.

"Who was Rajivari?" Kayla asked.

Yuon Par answered. "25,000 years ago, he helped found and was a member of the first Council of Force users. He was considered a wise man and great general; but he turned to the dark side and led an uprising that nearly destroyed the infant Jedi order." She observed Kayla's unanswered question. "Several years ago, my apprentice was searching for a missing hologram; it had been taken by a mis-guided Twi'lek, Nalen Raloch. The hologram contained Rajivari's teachings. When we recovered the hologram, it led us to the First Blade, which in turn led us to the Fount of Rajivari. There, my Padawan met the spirit of Rajivari. He explained how Nalen Raloch was planning to use the fount to destroy the Jedi on Tython. She stopped Nalen and brought him to us. He is still recovering. The teachings without the temperance of a teacher warped the poor boy's mind. My Padawan had convinced Rajivari to cross over. Other than the hologram, we thought his teachings had been lost. Now you find this."

"Who's Maravada?"

"Lord Maravada the Silent was a philosopher and a recluse. His reign was a time of peace and learning. We have learned much from the data that has been brought to us," Par said.

"And Avamarivash?" Kayla asked.

"From what little we know, Lord Avamarivash was a warrior-poet and a sponsor of the arts. He fought wars and built monuments to the glory of his people," Shan said.

Kayla regarded the foreign alphabet on the screen. "So we have not one but two teachings of ancient Dark Lords. If Darth Bilius knows these exist, either one would be a feather in his cap. We need to study this information."

"That is dark knowledge!" Shan was shocked.

"Know thy enemy," Kayla chastised turning back to the screen. "We need to know what it is Lord Bilius is looking for."

"We don't need to know it; we need to destroy it," Par insisted wringing her hands.

"I agree," Shan announced firmly. "We are not going to make that information easier to access. That computer will be locked in a vault. If this Bilius can't get it, he's thwarted."

Kayla took a deep breath to calm her rising ire. "Master Shan, power isn't power; knowledge is power. I agree that younglings and Padawans shouldn't have access to this; but I firmly believe not only what Lord Bilius is after but also information that is beneficial to the Jedi Order, to the galaxy, is contained within. We have another saying, he who forgets history's mistakes is condemned to repeat them."

"But Bilius wants to repeat the mistakes," Par countered. "If he doesn't know what those mistakes are, he can't repeat them."

Praven snorted trying to cover his scoff at that. "You may think that is sound logic, Master Par; however, I see the holes in it. We also won't know what those mistakes are. If we don't know what he is up to, how can we recognize he is doing it and be prepared to stop him?"

Kayla groaned in resignation and stood facing Shan. "I will dismantle this and present the motherboard to you to be secured in the vault. I will need some time and tools."

Shan studied her carefully then nodded. "You are making the right decision, Kayla. Master Praven, you and Master Par will oversee the process."

Shan left the three. Kayla listed some items she would need since she had returned the tools to the shop master. Praven jogged off to get the items. Kayla faced the computer and began humming. The tune was soothing, relaxing, and wove an air of quietude.

By the time Praven returned, Par had fallen asleep.

"We've not much time," Kayla warned. Immediately, she copied the data and handed the spike to Praven. She then began to diligently dismantle the computer.

It wasn't long before Par woke up shaking her head. "I seemed to have dozed off," she noted. "How long was I sleep?"

"Not long," Kayla noted. "I've just started the work. Please hand me that spanner."

Par and Praven watched carefully as she took the system apart. She then handed the motherboard to Par. "Here you go, the knowledge of ages past. It's late and I'm hungry. I shall see you both in the morning."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The next morning, Kayla walked into Praven's office fresh and full.

He glanced up from a datapad. "You're smiling. Hunting must have been most successful."

"Oh, yes, I found a herd of fat, lazy uxibeasts about 200 miles north of the Master's Retreat. I also found something else." She plopped down in a chair grinning.

He chuckled. "Very well, I'll bite. What did you find?"

"The Fount of Rajivari, the computer was up and running as viable as ever." She set the data spike on his desk. "Compliments of Master Rajivari. Sadly, just as I left the building, an earthquake collapsed it."

"We all felt that," Praven noted. He leaned on his desk. "You wouldn't have had something to do with causing that earthquake, now would you?"

Kayla looked shocked. "Me? Little ole' me? Sweet, innocent, me?"

He picked up the data spike and studied it as if it would speak to him. "What are you planning?" He set it down.

"Well, the data indicates information he didn't teach his followers; too dangerous. However, any computer should be able to open the file and the other two files from the Kaleth computer."

Praven shook his head in admiration. "You would have made one helluva dangerous Sith. Good thing you're on our side."

"The Force doesn't have sides. There is no light and dark side; there is the Force and only the Force. That is the side I'm on; don't forget that," she warned him. She picked up the dataspike. "Shall we?"

Praven set wards and locks around his room. He nodded when he felt they were secure from prying eyes and ears. Kayla inserted the dataspike. The option to open one of four files was presented. Kayla picked the smaller Rajivari file.

The figure of a man appeared on the screen. "I am Rajivari. I have recently returned from the Temple of Ara Kesh. I found in the archives a Rakatan scroll, a ritual for summoning and binding a planet's Force. The Rakata had used the Force to power their technology, especially their war machines."

Praven glanced up when Kayla growled deep in her throat.

She stopped the playback. "That's what Bilius is after." She started pacing. "The Rakatans had found a way to harness the Force to power their machines. They used a gas to immobilize a flight of dragons living in the south polar region of Tatooine. They used some ritual to extract the Force. That ritual is most likely similar to the one Rajivari is referring to."

It was evident as she spoke that there was still pain associated with the event. "They created the land-bound, brutish creatures you call Krayte Dragons." She looked down at the ground. "My son at that time was among the victims; he was only in his eights, 821 years old, a mere child." There was a pause as she mastered the grief and anger her people bore towards the event. "They didn't care that the process stripped the dragons of the force and mutated them."

"So your people eradicated all life from Tatooine," Praven noted.

She nodded. "Well not all, only surface life; the Sand People had taken to living in deep caves to hide from the Rakatan sweep squads. The caves protected them from the battle. Anyway, when that means to obtain power for their Star Forge failed, they sought another way: harness and control the Force of a planet. What they didn't realize is that the Force is a living entity. The more Force they harnessed, the more powerful the Force entity became until it rebelled and broke free. It turned on the Rakatans."

"So that is what Rajivari is referring to." Praven shuddered at the thought of such Force power unleashed on the galaxy or in the control of a psychopath. "We can't let Bilius get his hands on it; or worse yet his apprentice, who is much smarter and could and would use that power to displace the emperor." He studied Kayla carefully. "You said your son was a victim. How is it that you were not?"

"He was weaned and needed solid food. His sire and I had gone hunting." She chuckled. "Drakes have voracious appetites."

"You are still sad over that loss in another lifetime," Praven noted.

Kayla nodded. "We dragons have long memories. I think it's because of our psychic link to one another. We not only remember what happened to us in this life but in all the lives that precede it."

"Your passions run deep. That is why you are so powerful," he pointed out.

"We master our emotions, not bury them or let them rule us. Yes, we get angry, feel grief, love deeply, and fear for our loved ones. We have learned how our emotions strengthen our connection to the Force. That is why Tatooine was so completely scorched: rage and grief unleashed." She looked up at him. "We aren't proud of what we did but given the same circumstances, we would do it again."

"How do you define peace, as it pertains to the Jedi Code?" He asked leaning back in his chair.

"Peace of mind, confidence in one's self, being comfortable in one's own skin, not being ruled by one's emotions or suppressing them. I have heard other masters talking about bringing balance to the Force. How can the Force be balanced if it is one sided?"

"Excellent point. Have you studied the history of Revan?"

She nodded. "I noticed he was at his most powerful when he was balanced; not when he was Sith or Jedi but when he was in the middle."

He stood. "You could teach the masters a few things. Let's lock that up and go practice. Your sword technique needs work and you still tend to overdo it with the Force."

She, Praven, and the twins were sparring, working on fighting multiple antagonists at a time.

"You don't need to be powerful," she told Katzen during a break. "Wily and sly dominate over brute force every time. Fight smart."

It was a hot day and sweat was pouring off everyone's back. They used the Force to keep it out of their eyes.

"Try it again," Praven ordered and three attacked Katzen together.

She responded with the lightning reflexes of her race, blocking the attacks and throwing her brother back.

"Create openings," Kayla ordered. "You can defend only so long. You must attack." Suddenly she stopped, threw up a hand and created a massive Force shield over the temple and practice grounds.

There was a high-pitched whine then an impact on the shield. The explosion was massive and rocked the earth, knocking people off their feet. Windows in the temple shattered and water in the reflecting pools sloshed.

"What the Hell was that?" Chasnur yelled, his ears ringing from the noise.

Kayla held the shield. "Ion bomb, here comes another," she shouted as warning. She reinforced the shield she created; her crystal humming and vibrating loudly in concert with her defensive action.

Masters were racing out of the temple when the second bomb hit.

Students were screaming in terror. Kayla could feel some experienced students and masters adding their strength to her shield. They all heard the whine of a third bomb approaching.

Praven stood and shot a bolt of electricity out exploding the bomb away from the shield. The ensuing silence was deafening. No one moved and no one released their hold on the shield Kayla had created.

"The Flesh Raiders are attacking," Kayla announced sensing the tremble of their feet through the ground.

"Can you hold your shield?" Praven asked. When she nodded, he ran off to join other Jedi headed to meet the ground assault.

"Fight smart," Kayla reminded the twins before they followed Praven.

The next ion whine belonged to six imperial fighters. They attempted to strafe the practice grounds, but their shots bounced off Kayla's shield. She had to focus on maintaining the shield, adjusting its frequency to fend off the aerial attacks. She would have liked to shape-shift and meet the fighters in direct combat. She could hear the shouts of orders and hiss of light sabers and vibro-blades deflecting blaster fire.

"We need you in the fight." It was Satele Shan.

"The shield," Kayla indicated the fighters. "If I let it go, their strafing runs will get through.

Shan pursed her lips. "You have the ability to destroy them. There will be losses but we must prevail." She was shaken but took a deep breath. "There is no death; there is only the Force."

Kayla nodded and released the shield then immediately shape-shifted. She didn't launch but sent out a gout of flame that engulfed the nearest fighter. It crashed into the mountain wall and exploded. Kayla crouched and kept her wings folded sending out a Force shock that hit the second fighter shattering it. She now had their attention and they were focusing their attacks on her. She began to back toward the cliff over the river gorge drawing the fighters with her.

People on the ground ducked away from her feet but once she felt someone crushed under her weight. Her heart ached at their death, but they would live again one day. The fighters were dodging and weaving to excellent effect avoiding her attacks. She could feel their fire bouncing off her protective scaling. The fighters were trying to encircle her. She hit another with a force blast that disabled it enough that it was out of the fight. Now there were three and she was at the edge of the bluff.

She spun, jumped, and used the updraft to speed her ascent. The fighters followed. At altitude, she spun nearly back on herself and let out another gout of flame this time spinning in an effort to catch all three. Two caught fire, but one of them headed straight for her; an effort to take her out with its dying blow. She banked sharply just before it nearly hit her wing. The last fighter was very close; she grabbed the wing in her teeth and shook the vehicle. She could see the look of rage on the pilot's face just before the wing broke off and the fighter flew away out of control. She felt her right wing tear as he fired off his dying shots.

She headed for the ground, trying to control her fall, aiming for the practice grounds. She used her left wing to slow her descent then tucked and rolled just before she hit the ground.

She felt her right coracoid bone snap. The pain was momentarily blinding. She stood and the wing hung limp at her side. She shape-shifted back to human form and ran for the battle front using a Force trick to numb the pain. She could still be of use.

The medical droids were tending the wounded as a master galvanized terrified students to help move the wounded to safety. She could see that the Flesh Raiders had been supplemented by imperial troopers and the Jedi were outnumbered.

She skidded to a stop beside Praven; his light saber was nearly invisible as it moved to block shots. Every now and then, he shot out his hand to throw someone back. "Help the twins," he ordered her.

Kayla saw them off to the left fighting shoulder to shoulder. She started shooting out force blasts to clear her route to them. She saw Chasnur spin and fall from a blast and jumped to his side. He was rising cursing in his native language, blood coming from a wound on his hip.

Kayla exhaled incinerating every attacker in front of them. She threw up a shield around the three of them. "Fall back, Chasnur; get to the med-droids."

"No, I'm fine," he argued, but his wounded hip gave out. Resigned, he held out his vibro-blade.

"Katzen, get him out of here." Kayla ordered taking the weapon; she then began to advance on the next wave of attackers.

She held up a shield as she attacked with the blade. She was now very glad she had learned how to fight with the sword.

Praven moved to her side.

"There are Sith among them," she noted when she heard the atonal buzz of Sith lightsabers.

"We know how they fight," he assured her. "What happened."

"The last fighter tore my wing membrane and I broke a wing bone when I hit the ground." She swung the blade hitting a Flesh Raider in the neck.

It wasn't long before four Sith appeared wielding their red-bladed sabers.

"Darth Bilius and his apprentices," Praven noted and started toward him.

"Fight smart," Kayla reminded catching his arm. "Take out his support and he has to retreat."

Praven recognized the wisdom and turned his attention back to the Flesh Raiders and troopers. "We can't stand against them without reinforcements."

"Are Jedi coming from the other sites?" she asked.

"Yes, but it will take time for them to arrive."

Kayla took a moment to exhale yet another gout of flame into the faces of the attackers trying to surround them. She then lashed out with the sword and the Force.

The defenders started to fall back in order to close their ranks and create a more defensible wall. Kayla used that opportunity to expand her shield to include more. It worked well against ranged attacks but not for close-in blaster fire or the Sith's sabers. She was being taxed both by increasing and maintaining the shield and by her efforts to stave off the pain from her injuries. She could feel her energy starting to wane.

Praven at last hauled her out of the fight. "Get to a med kiosk and get your arm taken care of. If you wait too long, it won't heal right."

"But what about…"

"Do it," he ordered sharply.

Reluctantly, she dropped back still maintaining the shield." She had just reached the kiosk when a shout from the east was accompanied by heavy blaster fire. Twi'leks from Kalikori Village had arrived. The tore into the enemy's exposed flank sending them into confusion with some running in fear. That was soon followed by the arrival of Jedi on speeders from other training sites on Tython.

Kayla sagged to the ground near one of the reflecting pools. "Don't," she told a med-droid when it tried to treat the open wound and break of her arm. She shifted into her natural form, her limp and torn wing lying stretched out beside her. "Now," she told the droid and slipped into a self healing trance.

When she woke, the sun was rising in the east. Her coracoid had been set and splinted and the wing tissue stitched and bandaged. A fat and fresh uxibeast corpse lay next to her head. She smiled at the thoughtful gesture and wolfed the creature down.

"Thought you'd be hungry." It was Katzen.

"Tank you. How is Chasnur?" Kayla asked.

"Mad as hell and laid up but he'll recover. So will you." The Cathar smiled.

Kayla looked around. "So we drove dem off?"

"Yeah, eventually; but casualties were high. Master Praven lost an arm and Masters Shinn, Woh-tau, and Lars were killed along with… I lost count of the Padawans and students killed." Katzen sighed heavily. "I was told to stay with you and make sure you rest. Several Twi-lek from the village are hunting up a meal for you. Master Praven said you would probably be extraordinarily hungry after the energy you expended today. Master Shan said you may drink from the reflecting pool." Katzen pointed at the pool over her shoulder with her thumb. "Also, we captured a Sith apprentice, says she knows you. A Zabrak."

"Whuxoo?" Kayla couldn't say the letter "V" with her rows of dagger sharp teeth.

"I guess that's her name." Katzen shrugged. "Master Par said she surrendered because of you."

"What about Bilius?" Kayla stretched out her neck and began slurping up water.

"Got away but not before over half his attack force was killed, wounded, and captured. "Master Shan said that the defeat will put a big kink in his plans. Kayla, what are his plans? No one is telling us Padawans anything."

Kayla told her the whole story about the Rakatan ritual to summon a Force entity. Just as she finished, the Twi'lek hunters arrived with four more Uxibeasts.

The Twi'leks left while Kayla tore into the meal. Katzen remained and even picked at a couple of dropped morsels. "If you feel up to it, the Council would like to speak to you. I'll go get them."

"I…"

"No, they said I was to come get them. You are to stay here and rest." Katzen jogged off for the temple.

Kayla curled around her injured wing and began humming deep in her chest. Her crystal hummed in contented harmony to her. It would speed up her healing.

The sun was full up when the Jedi Council arrived. Kayla pushed herself up with her good wing and sat on her haunches. "Masters," she greeted. Among them was the Chiss Jedi she had only seen via holo, the Barsen'thor, and Master Brohnd, whom she hadn't seen since her arrival.

Satele Shan bowed. "Forgive us for not believing your warning, Master Alda-sha."

Kayla blinked. "Dere is not'ing to wore… reason to apologize."

"If we had heeded your warning," the one called Barsen'Thor answered. "Master Jonn said that the night before the attack, he was aware of a disturbance in the Force in a cave in Upper Kaleth. When he investigated, he saw Darth Bilius and his apprentice leaving the cave from which you retrieved that data. Master Jonn said that the rage emanating off the two was palpable."

"He will not stop. He wants that information and will go to any lengths to retrieve it," Kayla said.

"We know, Sith apprentice Vuxoo said the same," Par said.

"What else did she say?"

Shan smiled ruefully. "That you would know what to do."

"I should like to see her."

"I will permit it." Shan turned and sent a runner back to the temple. "I want to know what this information is that Bilius is so determined to get his hands on. Only then can we decide how best to handle it."

"You are the one who wanted it tucked away and not mentioned again," Kayla reminded. When she saw Shan accept responsibility for that bad decision, Kayla went on, "It is a ritual to summon a planet' p-horce entity with enup power to destroy a world and bind it."

"You looked at it," Shan studied Kayla.

"Certainly I did. It is de same ritual de Rakatans used to summon an entity to energize deir Star P-horge. To der detriment, the entity broke deir hold on it and it turned on dem. Someting dat powerful can't be contained."

Din rubbed his jaw. "How did Bilius find out about the ritual?"

"I'm certain dat Rajibari wasn't the only one who knew about de ritual. De Rakatans certainly lept records; dey were meticulous records keepers." Kayla leaned past them and took a deep drink of water. The salty blood of the Uxibeasts gave her quite a thirst. She turned her head and burped. "Excuse me." She saw a group of temple guards exit the building and start their direction. In their midst was a Zabrak female in Sith robes with her hands bound in force-dampening cuffs.

"We will leave you…" Shan started to excuse the group.

"No, you should stay. What she has to say, you should all hear. Hey Mando," she called cheerfully.

When the group neared, Vuxoo returned the greeting. "Last I saw you was on Ilium. I figured you had gone to the Jedi. Did you… I see you did." Vuxoo indicated the crystal embedded in Kayla's scale.

"Not a good way to reacquaint," Kayla pointed out.

Vuxoo snorted a rueful laugh and shook her head. "No it's not, but when I saw you shot down, I knew I couldn't continue supporting Darth Bilius' plan."

"Are you his apprentice?" Kayla asked.

Vuxoo shook her head. "No, I was apprenticed to Lord Jarkahn; he was killed in the fighting. Kayla…"

"Master Alda-sha," the Barsen'Thor interrupted.

"Master Alda-sha, Darth Bilius is a threat to the Empire. I overheard him talking to his apprentice. He wants to usurp the Emperor himself."

"Not Dart' Bilius," Kayla countered. "His apprentice."

"Lord Manshen?" Vuxoo looked confused. "He hasn't got the strength to do that."

"No, but he has de smarts. Manshen you say? He is de brains behind Bilius' coupe. He rides his master's coattails to de top den eliminates him. I saw his plan, quite brilliant actually."

"Oh, shit," Vuxoo closed her eyes as if pained and shook her head. "He would be very bad for the Empire. He would execute genocide on every alien within the empire: slaves, allies, all. He's a die-hard purist."

"Won't the Dark Council do something to stop him?" Master Brohnd asked.

"No," several, including Kayla and Vuxoo, responded at the same time.

"Among the Sith, only the strong survive," Vuxoo explained. "No one will raise a hand to stop him until he or she is personally threatened."

"The entity," Shan's eyes widened. "No one could stand against it. A straight shot to the top."

Vuxoo winced. "So you know about the entity and why Bilius wants it."

"Lord Manshen wants it," Kayla explained. "As you pointed out, Manshen can't bring down de Dark Council but de entity could."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Kayla was incapacitated for several days; she felt vulnerable unable to respond should another attack occur. If Darth Bilius had gotten Imperial troops to Tython, he had an Imperial cruiser at his beck and call. An Imperial cruiser would be equipped with a fighter wing, ground assault troops, and space-to-surface weaponry.

Grandma Blashe had assured her there were no military ships in orbit and informed her that Manshen had people looking for another copy of the ritual to bind the force. She also informed Kayla that the Council of Elders on Sanctuary were worried about Kayla and were sending her back up.

Kayla accepted that latter news with mixed feelings. She would like the company of her own kind but wondered if it reflected a lack of confidence in her ability to complete the task.

At least, Katzen and the Twi'leks kept her supplied with meals

She practiced moving her wing. While it was healing it felt stiff and the membrane burned when she stretched it, as if it would tear. Several times a day, a med droid would run an ultra-sound scanner over the broken bone. That and her self-healing technique had helped the bone to knit together faster than normal.

She smiled when she saw Vuxoo in the company of a temple guard, headed her way. She was no longer wearing the Force dampening cuffs but she was unarmed.

"Come to pay de 'inbalid' a 'bisit'?" Kayla asked as Vuxoo neared.

"There's nothing to do," Vuxoo groused and dropped onto the ground. "I'm not even allowed to access the archives. What do they think I'm going to do, steal a holocron? Where would I go? You look completely miserable."

"Bored. What I'd do to be able to study a holocron. I'm too big to get inside." Kayla grinned showing her rows of sharp, flesh-rending teeth. "Watch dis dough."

Kayla made a small Force energy ball and rolled it toward Vuxoo. It was almost as big as Vuxoo was tall.

"You're getting good control of the Force. So have you learned what you were looking for when you left for the Jedi?" She threw her weight behind the ball to send it rolling back to Kayla.

"I learned dat no one understands de 'P-horce'." Kayla nudged the ball with her left first digit.

"How so?" Vuxoo asked; she sent the ball back to Kayla.

Kayla explained her view that the Force was innately balanced and thus most powerful only when both positive and negative emotions were accepted and not allowed to rule. "Peace is not the absence of emotion; it is the acceptance of emotion. Strength doesn't come from fear; strength abates fear. Knowledge is power."

"That's downright heretical, for both sides," Vuxoo noted adding swirls of color to the ball. She gave it a heave back to Kayla. "What does your master think of your views."

"My Master agrees wit' me; it's de council dat has issues."

"They're terrified of you," Vuxoo observed, "and don't know what to do about you; not unlike the Sith on Korriban." She pushed the ball back to Kayla. "So, do you have a plan to stop Bilius and Manshen?"

"Been working on it while I lie here helpless," Kayla countered.

Vuxoo snorted a laugh. "If you're helpless, I'm the emperor."

"Dinner!," Kayla's eyes widened and her long jaw contorted into a smile. "Katzen, Wuxoo. Wuxoo, Katzen."

"Vuxoo," she corrected acknowledging the Cathar bringing in three Uxibeast carcasses. "Ugh," she turned around so as not to watch Kayla tear into the dead beasts. "So what is your plan?"

Kayla swallowed. "Stop and kill Manshen."

"Simple," Katzen acknowledged.

"How's Chasnur," Kayla asked before ripping off another bite.

"He is doing just dandy; he's milking his injury for all it's worth. Kat get me this, Kat bring me that, Kat go here…" Katzen growled deep in her throat. "He's twelve minutes younger than me; he acts like he's twelve years older."

Vuxoo was trying unsuccessfully not to laugh.

"He's getting better," Kayla announced. "Tell him to get op his lazy ass and come see me and dat he's to bring me de holocron on de Rakatans."

"You knew the Rakatans, why do you need their holocron?" Katzen asked.

"To get him op his lazy ass."

As a Mandelorian fighter, Vuxoo had seen a lot of gore and horror; but there was something about Kayla's eating fresh meat and the spurting blood that made her stomach churn. Even the sound was making her gag. "What you actually should review is any information on Darth Bilius, the Dark Council, and Lord Manshen." she managed to get the words out without vomiting.

"Done dat." Kayla reached her sinewy neck past Vuxoo and took a long drink from the pool.

"Manshen isn't going to allow himself to be simply squashed under your foot," Vuxoo noted. "He's now seen you in action and knows your capabilities."

"He's going to try and get that entity bound before you recover and attack him," Katzen noted.

"Grandma is keeping an eye on him."

"Grandma?" Vuxoo turned in surprise just as Kayla ripped the head of the last beast. She spun away and vomited.

"Por a Mando, you got a weak stomach. Grandma Blashe is a 'P-horce' ghost." Kayla explained.

"So she's the reason all the Force ghosts and Korriban were in such an uproar," Vuxoo realized after she recovered from her bout of sickness. She suddenly stiffened. "You aren't injured anymore," she nearly whispered.

"Don't tell anyone dat," Kayla warned and wolfed down the last of the Uxibeasts. "You too, Katzen."

Katzen was giggling. "This is great. He thinks you're incapacitated; if he attacks, you take him down."

"You threw up that shield, but he doesn't know that," Vuxoo added. "His prejudice will be his undoing. He believes that all you are capable of is what he saw during your aerial fight."

"Darth Bilius on de 'udderhand' knew ob me on Korriban; he knows better," Kayla pointed out. "He has tried to educate Manshen, wit'out success."

"How do you know that?" Vuxoo asked.

"She spied on them," Katzen whispered. "Are you really a Mandelorian?"

"You better get back to your studies," Kayla warned. "Master Din won't be too happy ip he learns you were wasting baluable time chit-chatting wit' a Sit'."

Praven sat on the wall of the reflection pool staring off toward the Flesh Raider camp. "So what have you learned?" He flexed and unflexed his prosthetic arm and hand.

"Manshen was highly upset to learn de computer containing de ritual was destroyed as well as de 'Pount ob Rajibari'. He got Bilius to send all his toadies to scour de galaxy por anudder copy. What will happen to 'Wuxoo'?"

"Master Shan is working with her hoping to convert her to the light. She's quite strong and would be an asset."

"You don't sound hope'ul dat Master Shan will succeed."

Praven shrugged. "Vuxoo is a Mando; they are almost rabid when it comes to loyalty to the Empire." He glanced at Kayla. "But they are also rabidly loyal to those they respect. She respects you; you defeated her in honorable combat."

"I didn't depeat her. I was out ob de pight bepore she surrendered."

"Be that as it may, she is loyal to you. Why don't you shapeshift?" It was more a statement than a question.

"My coracoid won't heal properly as a humerus."

He narrowed his eyes. "Your coracoid has been fine for days now." He jerked his chin in the direction of the Flesh Raider camp. "Besides, they don't know that. We can put it in a splint and sling to keep up appearances. I want you ready to travel when Bilius' people have found another copy of the ritual. Our ships can't transport you in that form. Besides, you shape-changed twice after you were injured."

"And it hurt like Hell!" Kayla snarled.

"Oh, Wa-a-aw. Suck it up."

"You can be a heartless bastard. You know dat?" She shook her head and shifted into human form. She let out a wail of pain and grabbed her arm. She waved off a med droid that rushed to her aid.

"Secure her upper arm and sling it," Praven ordered.

The med droid immediately stabilized Kayla's right arm and put it in a sling. "I do not understand the continued pain…"

"She's not human," Praven cut the droid off. "She heals differently."

When Kayla was ready, Praven escorted her to his office in the temple. "So how will we know if they are onto the existence of another copy?"

"Grandma," Kayla smiled. "Bilius and Manshen can sense the presence of a Force ghost but not commune with her. She on the other hand knows everything they say or do."

"There are two of them and one of her."

Kayla laughed. "She's a Force ghost. You'd be surprised what she's capable of."

"Can she fight for us?"

Kayla shrugged. "She can to a degree but the question is, 'would she'?" She leaned forward. "I want to tell you something but will do so only if you swear that you will not tell anyone else, especially the Jedi Council."

Praven thought about his answer as he studied her. "I swear on the Force and my honor that I shall tell no one."

"Grandma said the Elders are sending two others to assist me in my task."

Praven struggled to hide his reaction. More dragons here? More creatures capable of turning Tython into another Tatooine? That was beyond terrifying. "Help with your task. Why?" he finally asked.

"My task was to learn the nature of the other species inhabiting this galaxy. She has informed them of what we are facing, a resurgence of the Rakatan technology that suppressed the entire galaxy until 20,000 years ago and was used to oppress and deform our kind. We will not allow that to happen again." She smiled sympathetically. "We won't destroy a planet again, unless we have to."

"You are not being reassuring," Praven grumbled.

Kayla acknowledged the arrival of her grandmother. Praven sensed the presence of the immensely powerful Force ghost. He saw Kayla nod and felt the ghost retreat.

"They have found another copy of the ritual. Manshen is headed for Belsavis." Kayla announced.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Kayla, Praven, Katzen, Chasnur, and Vuxoo sat around a table in the passenger salon of the Republic transport taking them and Republic soldiers to Belsavis. The shuttle had just made the jump to hyper space and the trip was now smooth without the pull of a solar system's gravity.

"Your Master Satele didn't sound too happy about your choice of companions on this foray," Vuxoo noted.

Praven's response was a resigned grumble. Kayla shrugged.

"Why did you choose us?" Katzen asked.

"I want people with me who aren't so staunchly entrenched in the Jedi, or Sith, code as not to rise to their full potential. This will require strength in the Force, not conciliation," Kayla explained.

"May I ask where we're going?" Vuxoo asked.

"A little-known planet called Belsavis in the Outer Rim," Praven answered.

"What makes you so sure Darth Bilius and Lord Manshen are headed there?" Chasnur asked.

"That is where the ritual was last performed. That is where any other evidence about it will be found," Kayla explained. "Besides, I traced their ion discharge.

The group was getting odd looks from the soldiers, who tended to find seats far from the table of the five Force users: a human, a pure Sith, a Zabrak, and two Cathars. Chasnur was fidgety since his hip wound still bothered him, though it was healed, and he bore a grumpy expression that involved baring his long canines. Praven was using his prosthetic a lot to get used to it. Vuxoo carried the tattoos of her Mandelorian clan and was wearing what were obviously Sith robes of black and red. All four light sabers hanging from their belts in plain view and the human wore a glowing, pale crystal in a tiara resting on her brow.

"May I get you something to drink?" an attendant asked trying not to sound nervous.

"Please," Vuxoo begged. "Do you have any Corellian brandy?"

They all placed orders and fell into their own thoughts. Grandma Blashe had pointed out to Kayla that when the Rakatan's last summoned the Force entity, it was on Belsavis and she had heard Manshen and Bilius say that was where they would go.

Also, Grandma Blashe had informed Kayla that the two other delegates dispatched by the Elders would meet her there. The dragons would do everything within their powers to stop the ritual from being performed and to destroy it once and for all. The "once and for all" part was what Kayla figured would upset the others considering what "once and for all" meant for Tatooine over 20,000 years ago.

"So what is the plan?" Chasnur asked after everyone had a chance to enjoy their drinks.

"Find the ritual, destroy it, and/or Lord Manshen and/or Darth Bilius," Kayla explained.

"Simple, I like simple." Vuxoo smiled. "So, Kayla, how did you justify your choice to the Jedi Council? Surely you didn't give them the real reason."

"As I am now considered a Jedi, I can take a Padawan and Praven is free to take another. We are taking our Padawans (she indicated the Cathar twins) with us. I want your knowledge of both Manshen and Bilius; so you are going with us."

"Except the nonsense about needing me in regards to Manshen and Bilius, those excuses are the truth. Good move." Vuxoo nodded her approval. "But what happens if they are enough ahead of us to get their hands on and execute the ritual before we arrive?" She saw Kayla smile. "What do you know."

Kayla leaned forward and told them about the two dragons traveling to meet them.

Katzen was nearly jumping up and down with excitement as her brother stared at Kayla open-mouthed. Vuxoo was working through her mind what that meant; she wasn't privy to the story about the destruction of Tatooine by the dragons battling with the Rakatans.

It took about 61 hours of flight to reach Belsavis space port. They disembarked with the soldiers but while the soldiers formed up and headed for a briefing, the five headed straight for the shuttle hanger.

Their progress was impeded by a droid and an officer. The lieutenant announced that no unauthorized personnel were allowed on the planet surface.

Praven informed him that the Jedi Council had sent them and that their authorization to travel to the planet should be available to verify their presence. His Sith nature tended to make him a little less patient than the rest as they waited.

The lieutenant returned, begged his apologies, and announced that they were in fact cleared for travel planet side. He asked them to please contact Warden Grall immediately upon landing and wished them well.

When they introduced themselves to the warden, they learned that Imperial troops had landed and started a riot among the prisoners. He glanced uncertainly at Praven and Vuxoo and directed his request for help to Kayla.

"We will gladly do what we can to bring this situation under control," Praven assured. "However, we are here on an extremely sensitive matter in regards to galactic security, which must take precedent." He herded his little group out of the underground bunker and turned to Kayla. "So where do we start?"

She concentrated on what Grandma Blashe was saying. "Darth Bilius and Lord Manshen are currently headed for a crater in the northwest quadrant, an area dominated by glaciers."

"Glaciers?" Katzen groaned. "I might have fur but cold is not my favorite temperature."

"Belsavis wasn't going through an Ice Age when the Rakatans were here." Kayla explained. "It was all quite green and temperate."

"How will we get there?" Chasnur asked. "And where are the other two of your kind?"

"Right here." A voice behind him announced.

"Timian, Denaria," Kayla grinned and greeted the two new comers dressed as prison guards.

After the three dragons in human form greeted one another, Kayla introduced the others to Denaria and Timian. The discussion then returned to how to reach the crater where the two sith were supposed to be. They decided they would requisition seven speeders.

The first day of travel took them through the prison, where they witnessed evidence of the riot and were attacked a couple of times by free-roaming, armed prisoners. Toward evening, they travelled through a guard point out into the frozen tundra which was not influenced by the geothermal fissures that warmed the prison area. They managed a large fire and the three dragons went hunting while the rest set up the camp.

"So how did you get onto the planet?" Chasnur asked when all of them were sitting around the fire eating.

"We snuck on with the Imperial Forces then stole the identity of two guards killed in the riots." Timian explained as if it wasn't a horrendously illegal act on many levels.

"Everything is in such a state of chaos, no one ever questioned our identity. Pretty pitiful security if you ask me." Denaria shrugged.

Everyone had witnessed that the two alleged guards were not asked for identification when the group left the confines of the prison and ventured into the wilderness.

While the four humanoids slept, the three dragons spoke softly and kept predators at bay. Timian and Denaria told Kayla about everything happening on Sanctuary. She told them everything she had done to this point.

"The Blue said that no copy of the ritual must survive," Denaria told her. "The one in the Jedi archive must be destroyed."

Kayla reached into her robes and pulled out the data spike. "I will destroy all the copies to ensure none survive. Not even Praven knows I have this with me."

"What is the ritual; what does it entail?" Timian asked.

She explained that according to Rajivari's file there were three sites on the planet where the ritual would take place. They had to take place at exactly the same time to bind the Force to whatever it was intended to power.

"Had the Rakatans ever bound the Force to a living being?" Denaria asked searching her collective memory.

"Almost," it was Grandma Blashe's very soft voice. "One Rakatan tried but was stopped and imprisoned before he completed the ritual. I have good news. This Manshen for all his supposed intelligence does not know that three simultaneous rituals must take place in order for the planet's Force to be properly bound."

"Then we have a chance," Denaria nearly roared with joy.

"If the ritual is completed before we reach the site, it will still take all seven of us attacking this Lord Manshen to free the entity," Timian noted. "Are they strong enough?" He jerked his chin toward the sleeping humanoids.

Kayla told them about the attitudes of the Jedi and Sith towards the Force and what she perceived to be fallacies in their understanding. "Those four don't fully share either belief."

The next morning, the group continued across the frozen waste. They figured it would take several days to reach the area Manshen and Bilius would be searching for the ritual.

"Do you feel it?" Praven asked in an awed whispered after stopping his speeder. They were on the outside of a crater wall. "The Force, I feel it surging through and around me. We are close."

Katzen nervously rubbed her arms. The living Force was an unsettling sensation that made her fur stand on end. She glanced to see how her twin was reacting. Chasnur made no indication he was affected.

Vuxoo let the sensation flow over, through, and her reveling in the energy. She noticed that Timian, Denaria, and Kayla were glowing and Kayla's crystal was pulsating. "I can hear your crystal singing. Why are you three glowing."

Kayla just smiled in response.

"We are creatures of the Force," Blashe's disembodied voice answered.

"We arm ourselves," Denaria answered. "Just over this ridge, the ritual is being completed and the Force of Belsavis is being bound to a corporeal being. That is an insult."

"How do we proceed?" Chasnur asked.

"Fight smart," Kayla answered. "The ritual is taking place deep in the earth. We have some distance yet to travel; but from here, we will be on foot. You four will surround Manshen and whomever is with him. Use physical attacks on them; don't engage in close combat; attack from a distance. The rest of us must attack Manshen's mind."

Denaria and Timian began walking to the crest of the ridge ahead of them. The rest followed.

"Attacking from a distance; that will require Sith tactics," Vuxoo pointed out.

"Yep," Kayla responded curtly.

"Don't hold back, call on your deepest passion," Praven coached. "Let the Force flow through you with all its power. It wants to be free as much as we want it to be free."

When they crested the ridge, they saw the ground sloping ever downward into the long dead caldera. It was covered by the ice from what had once been a lake; the lake was gone and a huge cave was in its place. Force power seemed to be flowing out of the opening making the earth ripple like waves on a pond.

As they headed into the cavernous dark, Praven coached Katzen and Chasnur in channeling what was considered dark aspects of the Force. It seemed every third sentence he reminded them not to engage Manshen or any of his people in close combat, use only range attacks. Several times he had them use this forbidden power on inanimate objects.

As they descended deeper, the light failed; Kayla created a pale globe of Force light, which traveled a few feet in front of them lighting their way. Also, the deeper they went, the warmer it got and the more evident the presence of the Force became. Everyone was feeling the pricking sensation on their skin and hair stood on end as if electrified.

Suddenly, Katzen let out a surprised squeak and sidestepped into her brother. At her side, a huge shimmering shape was forming.

Blashe lowered her head to clear the vaulted ceiling of the cavern. She was over 150 feet long from the tip of her nose to her tail and at her shoulders she was 45 feet tall. She walked behind the group with her neck and head stretched over them.

"Your grandmother is with us." Vuxoo stared at the towering figure. "She's bigger than you."

"Of course, she was much older than I am now when she died. We grow our entire lifetime," Kayla explained.

"Does this mean she will fight with us?" Katzen asked somewhat nervously.

"Yes," a surprisingly soft voice washed over the seven living beings. "The errors of the past must not be repeated."

Katzen oohed; Kayla, Denaria, and Timian also took on their natural forms; she was now in the presence of three, live, gold dragons each thousands of years old and one gold Force ghost dragon. Denaria, the smallest was still at least 60 feet long and 18 feet tall at her shoulders. Katzen giggled excitedly.

Praven took a deep breath. "There is no fear, only peace," he said as if instructing.

"Oh yes there is fear," Chasnur's voice quaked. "There is a lot of fear."

"That is good," Denaria said. "Fear makes us cautious. Fear tells us there is something we must pay attention to. Listen to and control your fear Chasnur Jaemer of Cathar; but do not allow it to control and dictate you."

"Hush, all, we near the violators." Is was Grandma Blashe's soft soothing voice.

Kayla doused the Force light globe and they continued on by the light emitted by the glow of the Force, which filled the dragons. The sound of chanting reached them in the silence. The Force inherent in the planet of Belsavis was moving around them as if being pulled to the chanting.

Blashe stopped and lowered her head across the path of the others.

The chanting stopped and the entire planet shuddered. "I am the Force," a youthful male cried out exultantly.

"You?" It was an angry older man. "It was supposed to be me!"

There was a hysterical laugh. "You old fool; I will supplant the emperor himself." There was a flash of light and a high-pitched scream like air escaping from a balloon.

"Everyone spread out and surround him. Do not bunch up; start hitting him with all you've got and all at once; be relentless," Timian instructed.

The four Force users stepped out first moving to within range to attack Manshen; then the four dragons entered the cavern hanging back.

Praven threw the first physical attack. It seemed to bounce off Manshen. The others humanoids added their ranged attacks running to surround the Sith lord.

A blast emanated from him that threw the humanoids back but they landed on their feet, each beside one of the dragons.

Manshen knew how to suffer physical blows, to roll with the punches; he had been bullied all his life. No more, not by anyone. He had always outsmarted his opponents using his wits, but he had never had a lot of strength neither with the Force nor physically; he had strength now. He used it to back up his counter attack and in a way he had never been able.

He reveled in the joy of seeing the attackers, all aliens, being flung back. In his elation, he didn't notice that they weren't hurt by it nor were they flung back very far. He noticed the second time he used the same attack. The four had rushed back into range throwing lightning and rocks; he flung them back again but this time was aware that they came to rest at the feet of the four large animals. He saw the dragons for the first time, glowing and huge and imposing; then came a voice.

"I am death; you are but a flea trying to kill a wolf." A soft female voice was in his head. It seemed to belong to a youthful female.

"If you had any smarts, as you believe you do, you would know that what you attempt will be your death," this was a male voice deep and growling.

"Silly, silly mortal; you can't hurt me. You're still weak and don't know how to wield true power; you are still a pitiful mortal." With this soft voice came the sense of agelessness, of power beyond reason.

Manshen's eyes were drawn to the Force ghost. How could this be possible? They were just animals.

There was a flash of light and pain behind his eyes; this female's voice was angry and bore the weight of millennia. "Do you honestly think we would allow this ritual to be used again? Do you honestly believe you can control the life force of a planet? Not even I have that kind of suicidal hubris. You owe me a debt for the lives lost on Tython."

Distracted by the voices in his head, Manshen was knocked off his feet by a Force blow. He suddenly realized he was being battered by the physical attacks, lightening, dirt, rocks, and the Force. He reached deep and drew on the immense power that pulsated through him. He shot lightening out at the nearest dragon, the second largest dragon whose eyes burned. Its right talons caught the lightning, collecting it, then with a toss, threw it back at him as if it were playing with a ball.

"You have the power of the planet and the limited knowledge of Korriban. If that is the best you can do, I will kill you." Kayla had amusement in the thought she placed in Manshen's head.

"The planet will devour you, and I will watch." Timian followed that up with a blast of fire. He then sent pain and grief at Manshen.

Manshen managed to shield himself from the fire but could feel the searing heat singe his hair. He was nearly overwhelmed by the emotions that suddenly flooded him. He had to defend himself from the attacks, all coming at once from different directions. He cried out at the emotional pain, fear he would die and the grief of losing his life; his death was inevitable. He howled in anger; this was not how this was supposed to go.

"You don't know what to do with that power you summoned." Denaria shook her head then exhaled a blast of fire at him.

Manshen threw up a Force shield to stop the physical assaults. He could do nothing about the voices in his head. He shot out with lightening toward the giant Force ghost. Force ghosts on Korriban and Drummond Kaas never fought; they weren't supposed to be able to.

"Throw your little lightning bolts; it tickles." Blashe let out a delighted laugh that to the human's ears sounded like choking.

Manshen felt a nausea in his gut; it turned into a pain; he unable to stop himself from vomiting. He didn't know what it was or where it was coming from. Was this another type of attack from these alien creatures? He couldn't succumb to it. He tried gathering his new-found Force power to ward it off. Every cell in his body seemed to scream in agony. His mind went blank.

Kayla stared at the gurgling creature on the floor. "Time to leave, the Force is angry. Vuxoo, Praven jump on."

Timian and Denaria each grabbed one of the Cathars and the group fled the cave. Belsavis followed them like a tsunami trying to catch and engulf them. The earth roared and shook and the ice ceiling began to crack and collapse.

Blashe was the first to fly out through a new hole in the ceiling; the others followed. They landed on the far side of the ridge surrounding the caldera and watched a cloud burst upward with a roar then subside back into the earth.

"Is he dead?" Katzen asked after the silence became uncomfortable.

"No," Kayla answered.

"Where's Blashe?" Chasnur asked looking around.

"Blashe'Drezho-sha has passed on." Denaria explained.

"What now?" Praven asked.

Kayla chuckled. "We clean up de mess. Manshen still has de ritual on his person and it must be destroyed. All ebidence ob what occurred here must be eradicated. Den we will ensure no udder copies ob de ritual remain in de galaxy." She turned her head to Denaria and Timian, and spoke to them in Draconian, _"You will return to the Elders and give them my message."_

Timian bowed his head in ascent.

" _I shall see you back on Sanctuary_ ," Kayla told him. " _Be well my dearest mate; be well my darling daughter._ " The three entwined their necks before Timian and Denaria flew off.

"Is it safe to enter again?" Praven asked looking at the crumpled opening from the ridge.

Kayla, nodded her head, shape-shifted back to human form. She led them back into the crater. They used the Force to move the collapsed ice roof out of their way. Manshen was still alive but little of what made him a sentient human was left.

"Look well, this is what happens when the Force is wrenched from a being that depends on it for life," Kayla instructed.

Praven used his light saber to cut off the head of the creature that was now Manshen.

"That was cold," Vuxoo noted.

"That was a courtesy; he will be reborn as we all are. Life for you is fleeting, but so is death." Kayla began to rifle through Manshen's robes and Praven checked Bilius' body.

Kayla found a holocron and set it on the body then set the dataspike she carried with it. "Bring Darth Bilius here; I will cremate the remains and destroy the rituals."

The others stood back and Kayla engulfed the bodies in napalm. They backed away from the intense heat. They had never seen her sustain her fire breathing for so long and so hot. When at last she stopped, only ashes remained. She stepped on the charred remains of the holocron; brittle it crumbled.

"Now what?" Chasnur asked.

"We must search for all other copies of the ritual." Kayla explained.

"We?" Katzen asked, excitement in her voice.

Kayla laughed. "Yes, we. I don't want to do this alone and I've become rather fond of you four."

"Where to next?" Vuxoo asked.

"First, we return to Warden Grall and perhaps help him with his little uprising, while we look for the other two copies of the ritual that should be on this planet." Kayla started back out of the crater. "Then we must find a library and get a list of all the planets the Rakatan's occupied. Then we will search each one."

Chasnur let out a whistle. "That is a tall order. They conquered a lot of worlds."

"Then we better get to work," Praven announced and picked up the pace.

The End

I am ending it here so that there might be other stories of their adventures.


End file.
